How to watch free AFCON live streams: See every Africa Cup of Nations match

When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

If you're looking for the latest guide on where to watch AFCON live streams for free, we have everything you need. Better yet, we can help show you how to watch the Africa Cup of Nations for free, no matter what country you are in right now. The round of 16 is underway now, with two games a day until Tuesday, and you can see all of them for free.

We've also looked through the quality paid options in different international markets to see where the best prices are. For example, in the US, it will only cost you $5 to watch the entire tournament via a streaming bundle that includes the required channel, BeIn. If you want to watch every game for free, you'll want to check out SABC, a channel in South Africa that will show every game. The UK's BBC3 will show ten games throughout the tournament for free, including the semis and the final (Nigeria vs. Cameroon and Senegal vs. Ivory Coast are their next games). If you're not in the UK or South Africa, you'll need a VPN to get around geo-restrictions. 

A VPN (virtual private network) will simulate your viewing device's location to allow you to stream feeds on international sites you'd otherwise be unable to play. We'll give you the rundown on how to do it below. The VPN we recommend can be used for many other streaming opportunities, like a free Australian Open live stream.

• See also: Free Champions League live streams | NBA live stream | Asian Cup live stream

How to watch AFCON live streams for free from anywhere 

If you want access to every match of this year's Africa Cup of Nations, South African TV channel SABC has your back, with no sign-up required. This has been a great option so far, as even during the final group games, where both matches for a group were played simultaneously, one match was on  SABC, and the other was streamed on SABC3.

The main hitch is that you'll need a VPN to tune in outside of South Africa, as you'll get an error message when you try to hit play on their AFCON live stream. 

Don't worry. You can push through the block with a VPN and start watching once you set its location to South Africa. A VPN virtually changes your devices' location, so apps and websites think you're connecting from servers within those countries, just like the local viewers.

Don't have a VPN? There's a fantastic offer right now on the best VPN we've tested and have been using for years for streaming and beefing up our online security. You can pick up ExpressVPN, save 49% on the usual price, and get three months for free. It's the best investment in your sports-watching future if you know you'll want to watch more international sports streams. It's one of the few reliable VPNs with decent South African servers.

If you're unsatisfied with the VPN, there's a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Want to learn more about the product? Take a look at our detailed ExpressVPN review.

The same VPN will also let you tune into the UK's coverage of select AFCON games shown on BBC3 and the iPlayer. Coverage is much more limited, though, with only ten games, including the semis and the final. Looking ahead at the TV listings, we can confirm that the next BBC3 game is on January 29 (Senegal vs. Ivory Coast), a round-of-16 game at 8 p.m. GMT. After that, the next game on BBC 3 will be a quarter-final on February 2, also at 8 p.m. GMT.

How to watch the Africa Cup of Nations with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
• Install it on the device you're using to watch the game.
• Turn it on and set it to the streaming services country.
• Go to SABC (South Africa) | BBC (UK).
• Sign in or create a free login if using the BBC.
• Watch the Africa Cup of Nations game.

How to watch the Africa Cup of Nations in the UK

As mentioned above, BBC3 will show ten select games during the tournament. If you want a direct local feed of every game, the only official UK option is via Sky Sports, which means getting your wallet out. You don't have to join a full-on Sky contract, though. The most efficient way to dive in is via their Now TV service, which lets you get Sky Sports on a one-month rolling contract that you can cancel whenever you like, and a single month will cover you through to the final. It's usually £34.99 a month but is currently down to £26.

How to watch the Africa Cup of Nations in the USA

If you want to watch AFCON online in the USA, you'll find it on the BeIN channel. If you don't have that in your current package, you have two options via cord-cutting live TV streaming services.

FuboTV has it on its cheapest tier, which includes a seven-day free trial. After that, it's a rather eye-watering $79.99 a month. If you've been meaning to pick up a great live TV streaming service anyway, you might find the overall package worth sticking with.

If you want the cheapest option in the US, we've found a super cheap deal of just $5. Yes, five. Sling TV lets you bag its Sling Soccer Pass without signing up for the regular Sling package. So you really can just bag the bolt-on on its own.

That's an absolute steal. If you're outside of the US and are thinking of diving in via a VPN, just be aware that you'll need a US payment method to pay for it, but if you can get around that, then the same VPN we mentioned above will let you stream the channel.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.