After one of the best African Cup of Nations tournaments ever, we've made it to the final. Ivory Coast and Nigeria will battle it out for the trophy. Will The Elephants win on home soil, or will the Super Eagles swoop in for a fourth title?
Don't miss any of the action. Read on and we'll show you how to watch it wherever you are in the world.
Ivory Coast, under the caretaker charge of Emerse Faé, have been involved in plenty of drama so far at AFCON 2023, with their semi-final win against DR Congo one of the more straightforward of the tournament. Nigeria have played well in this tournament but had a tricky time seeing off South Africa.
The two sides meet for an enticing AFCON final. They met earlier in the tournament when the Super Eagles won 1-0. This will be a similarly close encounter, but home advantage could make all the difference for The Elephants.
Sadio Mané's Senegal grabbed the prize in the previous tournament, but they are now out, as are Egypt, who will not win AFCON for an unprecedented eighth time. Can a resurgent Ivory Coast put on a show and lift the trophy in front of their fans? Don't forget Morocco after their World Cup heroics from a year ago.
Luckily, there are lots of ways to keep up with all the action. Read on and we will show you how to do so. Keep checking in on this page as there are lots of broadcast details still to be sorted out and we will keep you up to date.
How to watch AFCON 2023 free live streams in the UK and worldwide
How to watch AFCON 2023 live streams in the UK
As mentioned above UK, 10 games will be available FOR FREE on the BBC iPlayer, including the final.
Thanks to a late deal, Sky Sports is also showing every match of AFCON 2023. If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £18/month to add those channels.
Whichever package you go for, you'll also gain access to coverage in 4K and HDR, so long as you also have an HDR-ready Sky Q box and HLG-compatible TV.
Sky Glass is another option. This gives you Sky TV within a 4K TV that has a built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar, and without the need for a dish. Prices start at £13/month for the TV, plus a sky sub on top of that.
If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider its Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £11.99 or month-long access for £34.99.
All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the UK, you can still follow the action by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN.
How to watch AFCON 2023 live streams in the US
How to watch AFCON 2023 live streams from anywhere with a VPN
You can watch AFCON 2023 on any of the streaming services above by using a VPN – no matter where you are in the world!
Normally a streaming service will know where you are trying to tune in from and block you if you're not in the right country but a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an app that hides your location. That means you can access your usual sports and entertainment services even while you're traveling abroad.
Our favorite VPN is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar. They have a helpful guide on the best VPN services if you'd like a full read.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
Your AFCON questions
When does AFCON take place?
AFCON begins on January 13, 2024, with Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau. That match kicks off at 12 pm PT, 3 pm ET, 8 pm GMT.
Where does AFCON take place?
The tournament takes place in different nations each time. AFCON 2023 is hosted by Ivory Coast, with games taking place in six stadiums across the country. The final will be held in Abidjan.
Who are the top players?
The Africa Cup of Nations boasts an array of stars who play around the world. This includes many based in Europe. This time around there will also be a number of top players who play in the Saudi Pro League competing in the tournament too.
Dozen of Premier League players have made their way to the Ivory Coast. These include Egypt and Liverpool's Mo Salah, Tottenham's Yves Bissouma (Mali) and Pape Matar Sarr of Senegal. Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson is also in the Senegal squad. A number of Nott'm Forest players have been called up to represent different nations at the African Cup of Nations, with West Ham's Mohamed Kudus (Ghana) and Nayef Aguerd (Morocco) also at the tournament. Man Utd 'keeper Andre Onana will join his Cameroon teammates, but only after facing Spurs in the Premier League. He could play two games in 24 hours.
It is not just England's top tier that will be represented. Championship leaders Leicester will have Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi are in the Nigeria squad, along with West Brom's Semi Ajayi. Indeed, a number of the teams at AFCON 2023 will feature players from across the lower divisions of English football.
Dozens of Serie A players are involved in AFCON 2023 too. These include Nigeria's Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Ademloa Lookman (Atalanta) and Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan).
Sadio Mané plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and is the focus of the Senegal team. Alongside him is former Chelsea centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who now is at Al-Hillel. Riyad Mahrez of Al-Ahli will lead Algeria.
What is the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 mascot?
A football playing elephant named Akwaba serves as the mascot for AFCON 2023. The character is, of course, dressed in Ivory Coast kit!
The name comes from a local Ivorian language and it means welcome. This "encapsulates essential values that make it a powerful symbol of the competition: hospitality, friendship, generosity, and team spirit", according to the tournament's organizers.
What is the official ball for the Africa Cup of Nations 2023?
Players at the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 will be using the 'Pokou' ball.
It is named after Laurent Pokou, a former Ivory Coast international who died in 2016. He was seventh highest goal scorer in the national team's history.
The Polous is made by Puma and features green and orange, echoing the Ivory Coast flag.
What is the theme song for AFCON 2023?
All tournaments need a theme song and AFCON 2023 is no exception! The track shares the title of the mascot 'Akwaba'.
It was written and recorded by artists from across Africa – Ivorian group Magic System, Egyptian pop star Mohamed Ramadan and Nigerian singer Yemi Alade. Dany Synthe was on production duty.
Tournament organizers describe it as "a fusion of afrobeat, rap and zouglou in a unique musical mix that remains deeply entrenched with the tradition of the competition's previous anthems." It's certainly catchy and the video encapsulates the excitement in the host nation ahead of the competition.
AFCON 2023 Groups
Group A
Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau
Group B
Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique
Group C
Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia
Group D
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritius, Angola
Group E
Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia
Group F
Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania
AFCON 2023 Fixtures
GROUP STAGE
Saturday, January 13
Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau: 2-0
Sunday, January 14
Nigeria vs Equatorial Guinea: 1-1
Egypt vs Mozambique: 2-2
Ghana vs Cape Verde: 1-2
Monday, January 15
Senegal vs Gambia: 3-0
Cameroon vs Guinea: 1-1
Algeria vs Angola: 1-1
Tuesday, January 16
Burkina vs Mauritania: 1-0
Tunisia vs Namibia: 0-1
Mali vs South Africa: 2-0
Wednesday, January 17
Morocco vs Tanzania: 3-0
DR Congo vs Zambia: 1-1
Thursday, January 18
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau: 4-2
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria: 0-1
Egypt vs Ghana: 2-2
Friday, January 19
Cape Verde vs Mozambique: 3-0
Senegal vs Cameroon: 3-1
Guinea vs Gambia: 1-0
Saturday, January 20
Algeria vs Burkina: 2-2
Mauritania vs Angola: 2-3
Tunisia vs Mali: 1-1
Sunday, January 21
Morocco vs DR Congo: 1-1
Zambia vs Tanzania: 1-1
South Africa vs Namibia: 4-0
Monday, January 22
Equatorial Guinea vs Ivory Coast: 0-4
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria: 0-1
Cape Verde vs Egypt: 2-2
Mozambique vs Ghana: 2-2
Tuesday, January 23
Gambia vs Cameroon: 2-3
Guinea vs Senega: 0-2
Angola vs Burkina: 2-0
Mauritania vs Algeria: 1-0
Wednesday, January 24
Namibia vs Mali: 0-0
South Africa vs Tunisia: 0-0
Tanzania vs DR Congo: 0-0
Zambia vs Morocco: 0-1
Round of 16
Saturday, January 27
Angola vs Namibia: 3-0
Nigeria vs Cameroon: 2-0
Sunday, January 28
Equatorial Guinea vs Guinea: 0-1
Egypt vs DR Congo: 1-1 AET (7-8 pens)
Monday, January 29
Cape Verde vs Mauratanie: 1-0
Senegal vs Ivory Coast: 1-1 (4-5 pens)
Tuesday, January 30
Mali vs Burkina - 9am: 2-1
Morocco vs South Africa: 0-2
Quarter-finals
Friday, February 2
Nigeria vs Angola: 1-0
DR Congo vs Guinea: 3-1
Saturday, February 3
Mali vs Ivory Coast: 1-2 (AET)
Cape Verde vs South Africa: 0-0 (1-2 pens)
Semi-finals
Wednesday, February 7
Nigeria vs South Africa - 9am PT, 12 pm ET, 5pm GMT
Ivory Coasst vs DR Congo - 12pm PT, 3pm ET, 8pm GMT
Third place play-off
Saturday, February 10
South Africa vs DR Congo: 0-0 (6-5 pens)
Final
Sunday, February 11
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast - 12pm PT, 3pm ET, 8pm GMT
