Football fans across Africa and other parts of the world will have multiple broadcast options as the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers get underway.

Matchday 1 of the qualifying campaign began on Thursday, September 24, with 48 nations starting their quest for places at the 2027 AFCON finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The opening two matchdays will run until October 6, with the 48 teams competing across 12 groups for 24 places at next year’s continental showpiece. The finals are scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027. 

CAF’s long-term broadcast partner, beIN Sports, will provide coverage across the MENA region and several other territories, including Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Chad, Mauritius and Madagascar.

The broadcaster will also show selected qualifiers in France, Switzerland, the United States, the South Pacific and other territories covered by its rights agreements. 

In French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, CANAL+ will provide exclusive French-language coverage of the qualifiers across more than 30 countries.

CAF is also working with free-to-air broadcasters in different African markets to ensure that the qualifying campaign reaches a wider audience.

Among the confirmed free-to-air partners for Matchday 1 are RTI in Côte d’Ivoire, RTNC in the Democratic Republic of Congo, CRTV in Cameroon and Botswana TV.

Other broadcasters involved include SABC in South Africa, Azam in Tanzania, SNRT in Morocco, OnTime Sports in Egypt and RBS in Rwanda. 

The opening round features several high-profile fixtures, including Côte d’Ivoire against Ghana, Cameroon versus Comoros, Morocco against Gabon, Egypt versus Angola and Algeria against Zambia.

Nigeria will begin its Group L campaign on Friday, September 25, against Madagascar, with the Super Eagles aiming to make a positive start to their qualification campaign.

European audiences will also have access to selected matches through broadcasters including Ziggo in the Netherlands, Sport TV in Portugal, Movistar in Spain and DAZN in Germany.

CAF said the expanding broadcast network is designed to give supporters in Africa and international markets multiple opportunities to follow their national teams during the qualification campaign. 

The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, marking the first time the tournament will be staged by three countries.

With Matchday 1 featuring 24 matches across the 12 qualifying groups, attention will now turn to the early results as the race for qualification gets underway.