The Africa Cup of Nations AFCON will soon begin, with fans of the 24 competing nations hoping their team can go all the way and come out on top in the 35th edition of the tournament.
Hosted in Morocco, the home nation will kick the competition off on Sunday when they face Comoros, the first of 52 matches.
A number of recognisable stars will be playing for their respective countries, including Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah for Egypt, and Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo for Cameroon.
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Current champions Ivory Coast will be looking to win their fourth AFCON tournament, though seven different nations have won the competition in the last eight editions, and the upcoming iteration is sure to be fiercely contested.
Here, socccersport provides all the details you need to know about how to watch the Africa Cup of Nations.
When does the Africa Cup of Nations start and end?
The Africa Cup of Nations starts on December 21, with competition hosts Morocco set to face Comoros at Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah at 7pm UK time.
The tournament will conclude on January 18, 2026, and matches will be played across nine stadiums.
How to watch AFCON in the UK
TV channels
Supporters in the UK can catch the action live on Channel 4, E4 and 4seven, with four matches to be played every day after Morocco kick the tournament off until December 31, though no fixtures will be played on Christmas Day.
Group games will be played at 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:40pm and 8:00pm, but the final round of group games will kick off at either 4:00pm or 7:00pm.
Streaming
Matches can be streamed on Channel 4 Streaming, as well as on Channel 4 Sport YouTube.
Highlights
Key events will be posted on Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel, and highlights will also be available on C4Sport on X (formerly known as Twitter).
How to watch group stage games live?
| Morocco vs. Comoros | December 21, 7pm (E4 / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Mali vs. Zambia | December 22, 2:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| South Africa vs. Angola | December 22, 5:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Egypt vs. Zimbabwe | December 22, 8:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| DR Congo vs. Benin | December 23, 12:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Senegal vs. Botswana | December 23, 3:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Nigeria vs. Tanzania | December 23, 5:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Tunisia vs. Uganda | December 23, 8:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Burkina Faso vs. Equatorial Guinea | December 24, 12:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Algeria vs. Sudan | December 24, 3:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Ivory Coast vs. Mozambique | December 24, 5:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Cameroon vs. Gabon | December 24, 8:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Angola vs. Zimbabwe | December 26, 12:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Egypt vs. South Africa | December 26, 3:00pm (Channel 4 / Streaming) |
| Zambia vs. Comoros | December 26, 5:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Morocco vs. Mali | December 26, 8:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Benin vs. Botswana | December 27, 12:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Senegal vs. DR Congo | December 27, 3:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Uganda vs. Tanzania | December 27, 5:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Nigeria vs. Tunisia | December 27, 8:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Gabon vs. Mozambique | December 28, 12:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Equatorial Guinea vs. Sudan | December 28, 3:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Algeria vs. Burkina Faso | December 28, 5:30pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Ivory Coast vs. Cameroon | December 28, 8:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Angola vs. Egypt | December 29, 4:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Zimbabwe vs. South Africa | December 29, 4:00pm (Channel 4 Sport YouTube) |
| Zambia vs. Morocco | December 29, 7:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Comoros vs. Mali | December 29, 7:00pm (Channel 4 Sport YouTube) |
| Uganda vs. Nigeria | December 30, 4:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Tanzania vs. Tunisia | December 30, 4:00pm (Channel 4 Sport YouTube) |
| Botswana vs. DR Congo | December 30, 7:00pm (Channel 4 Sport YouTube) |
| Benin vs. Senegal | December 30, 7:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Equatorial Guinea vs. Algeria | December 31, 4:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Sudan vs. Burkina Faso | December 31, 4:00pm (Channel 4 Sport YouTube) |
| Gabon vs. Ivory Coast | December 31, 7:00pm (4seven / Channel 4 Streaming) |
| Mozambique vs. Cameroon | December 31, 7:00pm (Channel 4 Sport YouTube) |
Who will win the Africa Cup of Nations?
Hosts Morocco will be expected to progress far in the competition due to their home support, and they have also won 16 of their last 17 games when including penalty shootouts.
Salah may not have another opportunity to win AFCON with Egypt while still at the peak of his powers, and he will be keen to impress after having guided the nation to World Cup 2026.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mane have long led the way for Senegal, and the Lions of Teranga could go deep in the tournament.
Other nations such as Algeria, who won AFCON as recently as 2019, will no doubt be among the favourites to lift the trophy in January.
Reigning champions Ivory Coast will have their say this winter, though it would not be surprising if a new frontrunner emerged as the Africa Cup of Nations progresses.
