THE 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco will be available to football fans for free across the United Kingdom, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced.
The tournament is scheduled for December 21 to January 18, with millions of African fans needing to subscribe to cable channels in order to watch.
CAF is yet to confirm if the tournament, which will involve the Super Eagles of Nigeria and 23 other national teams, will be available to free-to-air television channels on the continent.
“The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom (UK) have agreed a historic media rights agreement that will see the broadcaster become the home of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025,” CAF said in an official statement last night.
“Channel 4 has won exclusive rights to broadcast the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025, marking the first time the tournament will be available to watch in for free in the UK.
“The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 kicks off on Sunday 21 December 2025 in Morocco and will see 24 teams contesting 52 matches across nine stadiums.
“All matches will be live across Channel 4’s network, airing on Channel 4, E4, 4Seven, Streaming and Channel 4 Sport YouTube.
CAF General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, said: “The agreement between CAF and Channel 4 is historic in many ways and it ensures that the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will live in each and every household in the UK for the first time in the history of the competition.
“It affirms AFCON’s position as one of the prime and much-sought after assets in global football. On behalf of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, I welcome Channel 4 to the CAF family and we look forward to a succesful partnership that will deliver growth for both parties.”
Pete Andrews, Head of Sport, Channel 4, said: “Bringing the excitement and drama of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations exclusively to UK Free-to-Air television for the first time is such a compelling proposition for Channel 4.
“So many Premier League stars will be playing in the tournament and having Liverpool legend Mo Salah on Channel 4 on Boxing Day, when traditional Premier League football coverage has been reduced elsewhere, means football fans will still be able to get their thrill of festive fixtures.”
The 2025 AFCON will feature a host of English Premier League stars, including Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah and Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush representing Egypt, the tournament’s most decorated side.
Other Premier League favourites expected to take part in the tournament include the Manchester United trio of Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (holders Côte d’Ivoire) and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco); Everton’s Senegalese duo Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye; Fulham’s Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze and Calvin Bassey, all playing for Nigeria; West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo); Crystal Palace attacker Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) and Wolves defender Emmanuel Agbadou (Côte d’Ivoire) and striker Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria).
The deal between CAF and Channel 4 was facilitated in partnership with IMG, CAF’s international media rights and sponsorship agency, the continental governing body explained.