The Confédération of African Football (CAF) has appointed Media Experts Limited (MEL) and Media Business Solutions (UK) Ltd (MBS) as the exclusive free-to-air (FTA) broadcast rights holders for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.
The flagship tournament, tagged PAMOJA 2027, will be co-hosted by three East African countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, while the rights also cover all other CAF events across sub-Saharan Africa.
The 2027 African Cup of Nations, which runs from June 19 to July 17, 2027, will be the first AFCON co-hosted by three nations and the first staged in East Africa since Ethiopia in 1976.
The appointment follows a competitive invitation to tender launched by CAF in August 2026 for free-to-air and Pay-TV rights across the region.
It completes the broadcast picture for the tournament in sub-Saharan Africa alongside the Pay-TV agreement announced earlier this month.
Patrice Motsepe, CAF President, said AFCON’s audience is growing at speed, as about two billion people watched AFCON 2023 (celebrated in 2024) in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to him, the 2025 edition in Morocco generated a record 3.6 billion viewers worldwide and 6 billion combined with digital views across social platforms.
Under the agreement, MEL and MBS will build a network of national and regional free-to-air broadcasters to deliver live coverage of the CAF AFCON tournament to over 500 million households.
Free-to-air coverage will be secured in all three host nations – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – and in the continent’s largest football markets, including Nigeria and South Africa.
According to CAF, broadcast partners in each territory will be announced in the coming months.
Accordingly, the deal also includes Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2026, CAF Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations 2026, U-20 Cup of Nations 2027, U-17 Cup of Nations 2027, and U-20 Cup of Nations 2027.
“Free-to-air television is where Africa watches its biggest moments together, and AFCON is the biggest football moment we have,” Kunle Falodun, CEO, Media Experts Limited, said.
Preliminary research released by CAF shows a 61 percent increase in viewership in Europe, Asia and South America, while free-to-air television remains the main gateway to the game for many African fans.
“CAF’s decision affirms our belief that the Africa Cup of Nations belongs on every screen, in every home, in every market,” Falodun said.
According to a recent GeoPoll Africa Football Survey 2026, 96 percent of respondents in Nigeria and Kenya, and 91 percent in Ghana said they follow football.
Similarly, 64 percent of respondents cited free-to-air TV as the leading way to watch live matches in Nigeria. “This is a proud day for MBS and a great day for every African football fan,” Richard Dimosi Diasolwa, CEO, Media Business Solutions (UK) Ltd, said.
He added that the company distributed AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire and saw first-hand what happens when the tournament reaches every fan.
“For brands and corporate sponsors, it is an opportunity to stand alongside Africa’s most-watched national-team competition with the reach and trust that only free-to-air delivers,” Diasolwa said.
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Seyi John Salau is a BusinessDay Correspondent with interest in development journalism, which tells stories that connect the people, brands, and the government. SeyiJohn is also a media professional with BSc, Mass Communition (ACU); Masters of School Media (MSM, Ibadan) & MSc, Mass Communication (Caleb).
