Why Channel 4 Broadcasting AFCON Could Be Exactly What the Tournament Needs
For the first time ever, Africa’s most famous tournament will be entirely free in the UK in a landmark deal with Channel 4, and it has the potential to be a great success.
By Maxwell Kablan
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco on Sunday 21st of December, with hosts Morocco taking on Comoros in the first game of the tournament. Importantly, the tournament will be shown on Channel 4 in the UK for the first time, where all 52 matches will be free to air.
But why are Channel 4 showing the tournament, and what will it mean for the tournament’s coverage and growth?
The Nature of The Deal
On December 3rd, 2025, Channel 4 announced that it had acquired the rights to show all matches exclusively of the tournament, putting an end to Sky Sports’ deal (who had shown the last two AFCON tournaments exclusively). As part of the deal, matches will be shown on Channel 4’s main channel, its entertainment and catch up channels E4 and 4Seven as well as its own streaming channel and on Channel 4 Sport YouTube.
The extensive Channel 4 platforms showing AFCON creates a greater scope to attract tournament interest from a wide audience range. It maximises the opportunity for Channel 4’s existing viewers to engage with the tournament.
Additionally, it also creates an opportunity for newer audiences to watch AFCON through the channel. In the two previous editions on Sky Sports, viewers were required to have a paid Sky Sports package to watch all tournaments games, with BBC showing a select few games (10 in total). Before Sky Sports, Eurosport showed the tournament for 25 years in the UK from 1994 to 2019, which also required a paid package which included the Channel to watch the tournament. These deals represented significant access barriers to games, with many fans unable to experience the full tournament.
But Channel 4’s deal represents something revolutionary. By it being fully free to air, all UK viewers will be able to experience the entire tournament, whether live, streamed or on catch-up.
It represents an opportunity for both Channel 4 and the tournament to capitalise on demand which is already there. The most recent Afcon tournament in Ivory Coast broke tournament records, seeing over 2 billion viewers worldwide, as Ivory Coast were crowned African champions. Similarly, the AFCON 2021 final between Senegal and Egypt saw 1.3 million viewers on BBC Three’s channel, resulting in its highest audience since its return as a linear broadcaster. This demonstrates the viewership potential which comes with free to air TV, and both AFCON and Channel 4 will hope AFCON 2025 takes these figures to the next level.
It also shows Channel 4’s commitment to having more sports content on its platforms. As they already show England Nations League matches and the Women’s FA Cup, AFCON represents a chance for them to increase their sports portfolio.
The Importance of Tournament Portrayal - How Channel 4 Can Get it Right
In the UK, Eurosport had a strong relationship with AFCON, as part of its 25-year relationship. And their coverage reflected this. From behind the scenes interviews into players and managers(many of which were while the tournament was taking place) there was a strong investment into the tournament’s coverage from Eurosport.
However, Sky Sports’ coverage of AFCON in the last 2 editions often felt like it lacked strong engagement and tournament association. Many games did not have pundits breaking down and previewing matches, there was little tournament insight from players, managers and clubs, while coverage of games was often delayed. For instance, in the 2024 AFCON quarter final between Ivory Coast and Mali, Sky Sports only started coverage at the 15th minute mark, by which Mali had already had a penalty.
When tournament coverage seems inauthentic or merely to fulfil obligations, this can undervalue a tournament, or even limit new viewers from engaging or seeing a tournament for what it truly is.
This is why tournament portrayal is so important. Tournaments require broadcasters who will help them to generate viewership and exposure, while also representing the tournament in an authentic way.
So Channel 4 showing AFCON could mark the start of an aligned partnership. Channel 4 has a reputation of being a cultural channel, which represents its diverse audiences, as well as authenticity. As a result, they are well positioned to reflect the tournament’s heritage in its coverage, and to shine a light on the tournament.
There’s a real opportunity for Channel 4 to do this, through its punditry, pre-game segments as well as mini and long-form documentaries.
And it seems like they are committed to doing so. Earlier today, they announced the presenters and pundits who will cover the tournament. The lineup includes presenters Ayo Akinwolere and Julia Stuart. For Morocco’s opening game against Comoros, they will be joined by former Arsenal and Cameroon defender Lauren and Sierra Leone captain Steven Caulker.
Later in the tournament, there will be appearances from former South Africa and Blackburn striker Benny Mccarthy, as well as punditry from Nigeria legends John Obi Mikel and Jay Jay Okocha.
Their free coverage of the tournament also plays a part when it comes to the tournament. Pay-to-view TV Channels that have exclusive tournament rights often have minimal promotional incentives for some matches. But as Channel 4 are showing matches for free, their focus will be on exploring innovative ways to drive the most engagement possible to the tournament.
There’s also an opportunity to capitalise on short-form content creators, especially when it comes to streaming. In an age where creators effectively bring their own unique audience engagement, there is a chance for Channel 4 to collaborate with content creators to further maximise AFCON reach and impact on audiences. It will be interesting to see the approach Channel 4 takes in its tournament coverage.
The Wider Picture and What To Expect
Channel 4’s AFCON deal represents a much deeper shift with AFCON’s commercial and broadcasting strategies. CAF is now looking for media partners to reflect its tournament ethos in the best way possible in addition to worldwide attention. And this is seen not only in the UK, but also across Europe and worldwide.
CAF recently announced that they have a record 20 media rights partnerships across over 30 European territories for AFCON 2025. This also includes new deals with Movistar, a major streaming channel in Spain, as well as revolutionary streaming deals in Greece and Spain.
Bein Sports USA will also be showing the tournament, and they’ve teamed up with 5 aside media, a team of creators who bring light to African Football conversations on social media. Through the partnership, they will bring match day vlogs, street interviews, and a four part documentary for the tournament.
These partnerships tell a story which cannot be ignored. AFCON is taking control of its own media coverage in a way which hasn’t been done before. And the potential is endless.
