Tournament hosts Ivory Coast take on Group A rivals Nigeria on Thursday in one of AFCON 2023’s most eagerly anticipated pool stage matchups.
The Ivorians got their tournament off to a winning start on Sunday with a convincing 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in their opening fixture, thanks to goals from Seko Fofana and Jean-Philippe Krasso.
The Nigerians, meanwhile, kicked off their campaign with a disappointing draw against tournament outsiders Equatorial Guinea, with Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen’s first-half header canceling out Iván Salvador’s goal.
That unexpected result has placed increased pressure on Nigeria ahead of what already looked on paper to be their most challenging group stage fixture.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the tournament live wherever you are in the world.
Victor Osimhen’s header earned Nigeria a draw in their opening AFCON match against Equatorial Guinea.
Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria: When and where?
Ivory Coast take on Nigeria in this AFCON 2023 Group A clash at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé on Thursday, Jan. 18. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. GMT local time and in the UK, making it a 12 p.m. ET, 9 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 4 a.m. AEDT kick-off on Friday, Jan. 19 in Australia.
How to watch the Africa Cup of Nations online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch games — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria game in the US
Matches from this year’s tournament in Ivory Coast will be shown exclusively live in the US via beIN Sports, which is available through most cable providers.
If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch AFCON fixtures with a live TV streaming service, with a number of major services offering beIN Sports.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in the UK
Rights to show this year’s tournament in the UK are split between pay TV network Sky Sports and free-to-air broadcaster the BBC.
Sky Sports will be showing all 52 games live, while the BBC will show 10 select matches, including both semifinals and the final.
This clash between Ivory Coast and Nigeria is exclusive to Sky Sports and will be shown on its Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event channels.
If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game.
Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £12, or sign up to a monthly plan from £25 per month right now.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in Canada
If you want to stream games from the AFCON in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to beIN Sports. The service has exclusive rights for this year’s tournament in the region and is available via most cable operators. If that’s not an option, the network also offers its very own standalone streaming service beIN Sports Connect.
Streaming service beIN Sports Connect is available for just CA$15 for a monthly pass or a yearly commitment for $100 per year. The service has dedicated apps for smartphones and tablets, as well as smart TVs.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this year’s tournament on beIN Sports, which is showing every single AFCON game live in Australia.
beIN Sports is available in Australia for AU$15 a month or a yearly commitment of $150.
Quick tips for streaming the Africa Cup of Nations using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming AFCON matches may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.