Why You Can Trust CNET Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria Livestream: How to Watch Africa Cup of Nations Soccer Final From Anywhere
It all comes down to this as the Super Eagles take on the tournament hosts in the AFCON grand finale.
Tournament hosts Ivory Coast take on favorites Nigeria on Sunday in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Ivorians got their tournament off to a shaky start and were on the brink of an humiliating group-stage elimination. Despite seeing head coach Jean-Louis Gasset dismissed mid-tournament, the Elephants have somehow managed to turn things around, scraping wins over Senegal and DR Congo in the knockout stages to book their place in today's showpiece showdown.
They now come up against a Nigerian side that has looked strong throughout the tournament, claiming knockout stage convincing wins over Cameroon, Angola and a penalty-shoot-out victory over South Africa in the semifinal. The Super Eagles will also draw confidence from having already beaten the Ivorians 1-0 in their Group A clash at the start of the tournament.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the final live wherever you are in the world.
Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria: When and where?
Ivory Coast take on Nigeria in the AFCON 2023 final at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé on Sunday, Feb. 11. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. GMT local time and in the UK, making it a 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 7 a.m. AEDT kick-off on Sunday, Jan. 12 in Australia.
How to watch the Africa Cup of Nations final online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch the final -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria game in the US
This year's tournament final will be shown exclusively live in the US via BeIN Sports, which is available through most cable providers.
If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch AFCON fixtures with a live TV streaming service, with a number of major services offering BeIN Sports.
Sling TV's Orange or Blue plans ($40 per month in most areas but $45 a month in the few locations where local networks are also included), plus its $11 Sports Extra add-on, will give you access to BeIN Sports.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes BeIN Sports.
Fubo's basic plan costs $75 a month and includes BeIN Sports.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in the UK
Rights to show this year's tournament in the UK are split between pay TV network Sky Sports and free-to-air broadcaster the BBC.
Both networks will be showing the final between the Ivory Coast and Nigeria live with the match set to be shown for free on BBC Three as well as Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event channels.
Matches being shown on the BBC can be streamed for free via the public broadcaster's online service iPlayer, so long as you have a valid UK TV license.
BBC iPlayer has dedicated apps available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes, all you need is a valid UK TV license to stream games from the tournament.
Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £12, or sign up to a monthly plan from £25 per month right now.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in Canada
If you want to stream games from the AFCON in Canada, you'll need to subscribe to BeIN Sports. The service has exclusive rights for this year's tournament in the region and is available via most cable operators. If that's not an option, the network also offers its very own standalone streaming service BeIN Sports Connect.
Streaming service BeIN Sports Connect is available for just CA$15 for a monthly pass or a yearly commitment for $100 per year. The service has dedicated apps for smartphones and tablets, as well as smart TVs.
Livestream Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this year's tournament on BeIN Sports, which is showing every single AFCON game live in Australia.
BeIN Sports is available in Australia for AU$15 a month or a yearly commitment of $150.
Quick tips for streaming the Africa Cup of Nations using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming AFCON matches may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.