Women's African Football Finally Gets Its Global Broadcast Moment in 2026

Rabat will host the opening match of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, July 26, 2026, and for the first time, fans in British living rooms will be able to watch it live on Channel 4. That single detail captures something larger: a women’s football tournament that once circulated mainly within African broadcasting networks is now reaching audiences across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.

The tournament’s expanded 16-team format is part of what is drawing new partners in. Prize money for the winning team has risen to USD 2 million, a figure that reflects the competition’s growing ambition. Channel 4’s commitment marks the first time the tournament will air live in the United Kingdom. DAZN has also entered the picture for the first time, securing rights for Germany and surrounding territories. For fans in those countries, WAFCON was previously out of reach through mainstream channels.

Additional reference context is available at https://www.cafonline.com/caf-womens-africa-cup-of-nations/news/bein-sport-uk-s-channel-4-dazn-and-ziggo-among-long-list-of-global-broadcasters-for-totalenergies-caf-women-s-africa-cup-of-nations-wafcon-morocco-2026/.

Meanwhile, the broadcasters who have carried the tournament before are deepening their footprint. beIN Sport, a long-standing CAF partner, will distribute all matches across the Middle East and North Africa. CANAL+ will serve French-speaking territories throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, and BBC Radio will provide coverage to several Sub-Saharan nations. In Morocco itself, the national broadcaster SNRT will carry the competition, meaning supporters of the host nation can follow their team’s campaign without searching for a signal.

Across the continent, the broadcaster list reads like a map of African football fandom. SABC will carry the tournament in South Africa. AZAM Media covers parts of East Africa, including Tanzania. KBC serves Kenya. A further tier of free-to-air broadcasters extends the reach into Nigeria through AfroSport, Ghana through MaxTV, Cote d’Ivoire through RTi, Cape Verde through RTCV, Zambia through ZNBC, and Burkina Faso through RTB. The mix of pay and free-to-air options is deliberate, aimed at reaching audiences across different income levels and markets.

The opening day in Rabat features two matches. Algeria and Senegal kick off at 18h00 local time (17h00 GMT). Morocco then face Kenya at 21h00 local time (20h00 GMT, 23h00 East Africa time), giving the host nation’s supporters an evening fixture for their first game of the tournament.

Whether the broadcaster coalition translates into the kind of sustained viewership that locks in long-term commercial interest is the question that will linger well past the final whistle in Morocco. More information is available at cafonline.com, with inquiries directed to [email protected] through the CAF Communications Department.