CAF names partners for free TV coverage of AFCON 2027

The Confederation of African Football has chosen Media Experts Limited and Media Business Solutions (UK) Ltd as the exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights holders for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and other CAF events in sub-Saharan Africa.

This announcement came in London on October 19. It follows a tender CAF started in August for free-to-air and pay-TV rights in the region. This completes the broadcast plan after a pay-TV deal was announced earlier this month.

The companies will create a network of national and regional broadcasters. This will ensure coverage reaches over 500 million households in at least 40 countries. These countries include Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Congo DR, Senegal, Angola, and Ethiopia. Free-to-air coverage will be available in host countries Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Broadcast partners for these countries will be announced in the coming months.

The agreement also includes the Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2026, the Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations 2026, and the 2027 Under-17 and Under-20 Africa Cups of Nations.

The 2027 tournament is set to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027. It will be the first AFCON co-hosted by three nations and the first held in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe shared that nearly two billion people watched the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire. The 2025 edition in Morocco attracted a record 3.6 billion viewers worldwide. CAF's early research shows a 61 percent increase in viewership in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Free-to-air television is crucial for fans. According to GeoPoll’s Africa Football Survey 2026, 96 percent of respondents in Nigeria and Kenya, and 91 percent in Ghana, said they follow football. In Nigeria, 64 percent said free-to-air TV was their main way to watch live matches.

Kunle Falodun, chief executive of Media Experts Limited, stated, “Free-to-air television is where Africa watches its biggest moments together, and AFCON is the biggest football moment we have.”

Richard Dimosi Diasolwa, chief executive of Media Business Solutions, said the tournament would be “free, live and everywhere, from Nairobi to Lagos, from Kinshasa to Johannesburg.”

The companies have invited broadcasters for talks on sublicensing and brands for discussions on sponsorship and advertising.