Sky Sports secures TV rights for 2021 AFCON with all 52 matches to be shown live in UK and Ireland
African football secured a massive coup on Wednesday when highly-regarded English sports broadcaster Sky Sports landed the rights to show live all the 52 Afcon matches.
This is a major achievement for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as it seeks to globalise African football by reaching audiences that were previously untapped.
CAF’s deal with Sky Sports also means that in future several high paying television companies will be engaged in a bidding war to be able to land the rights to broadcast African football that will also bring in the much needed revenue for the continent’s game.
Sky Sports has been attracted to the Africa Cup of Nations thanks to the massive influence of African players like Thomas Partey, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah who play for Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.
Around 40 Premier League players could be called up to represent their country, including Man City’s Riyad Mahrez and Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy.
Arsenal’s Thomas Partey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha and West Ham’s Said Benrahma are also set to feature. Up to 15 Premier League clubs could see at least one of their players feature at the tournament.
This means the boradcaster, that holds the rights to some of the biggest football competitions in the world, will also get to showcase more African football talents who are unknown to English clubs.
Sky Sports Director of Football, Gary Hughes said: “This is excellent news for football fans, who love to watch the best players in the world including Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez.
“We’re delighted to be adding this fantastic competition to our ever-expanding football offering in the UK & Ireland which already includes Premier League, EFL, Scottish Premiership and FA Women’s Super League as well as international action in the form of World Cup Qualifiers, placing Sky Sports as the home of live football.”
Confederation of African Football general secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba said: “It is important for CAF to ensure that the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, being the single-biggest sporting event on African soil, and prime content, is accessible all over the world.
“This event is consumed not only by Africans but enjoys a global audience. In Cameroon next year, we are planning an event bigger and better product that will attract millions of viewers.”
The tournament, originally scheduled to be played in June and July 2021, will be played in Cameroon between January 9 and February 6, 2022, with Sky Sports showing all 52 games live.
Twenty-four teams will take part, kicking off on January 9 as hosts Cameroon host Burkina Faso in Yaounde, before culminating in the final on February 6 in the capital.
The tournament is the 33rd edition of AFCON, which was won by Algeria in 2019.
AFCON Groups:
Group A: Cameroon (hosts), Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Ethiopia
Group B: Guinea, Malawi, Senegal, Zimbabwe
Group C: Comoros Islands, Gabon, Ghana, Morocco
Group D: Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Sudan
Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone
Group F: Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Tunisia
