December 8 – CAF’s flagship tournament has been confirmed as heading back to SuperSport screens after New World TV (NWTV) – CAF’s exclusive media rights agent – and Iris Media struck a sub-licensing deal that restores the broadcaster’s rights to the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025 across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The agreement ends months of uncertainty over where the competition would land and puts SuperSport firmly back at the centre of the region’s AFCON coverage.
SuperSport will show every match in English and Portuguese-speaking markets, while also carry feeds in Pidgin, Swahili, isiZulu and Setswana.
SuperSport’s broadcast operation plans around the tournament will include a 24-hour AFCON channel, daily highlights and magazine shows alongside live coverage of all 52 games.
The broadcaster is also putting more shoulder behind its digital output, rolling out podcasts, interactive tools and fan-focused features in the hopes that the tournament stays important beyond the usual match slots.
They’ve scouted some familair faces for the on-air team, too. Salomon Kalou, who lifted the trophy with Côte d’Ivoire in 2015, will join a panel that also features South African internationals Teko Modise, Shaun Bartlett and Bongani Khumalo.
In the studio, Mozez Praiz, Carol Tshabalala and Thomas Mlambo return as the faces of SuperSport’s major-tournament coverage.
For NWTV, the deal is another milestone in its developing partnership with CAF since taking over the confederation’s media rights. For SuperSport, it restores a long-running relationship at a time when rights markets across African football continue to shift.
Morocco’s preparations for AFCON are complete, with the tournament less than a fortnight from kickoff.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]