TAIWO ADELU
Eurosport has won the UK and Ireland broadcast and digital rights for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2017 and 2019, as the Ivory Coast look to defend their 2015 title in the host nation of Gabon this coming January.
The new deal to broadcast the next two editions extends the long-standing relationship between the CAF Africa Cup of Nations and Eurosport which has televised the tournament in the UK and Ireland every year since 1994.
Eurosport will show the games live on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 with all matches streamed live on the Eurosport Player. 2017 hosts Gabon will stage the opening match in Libreville on January 14 against Group A opponents Guinea-Bissau who make their first appearance in the 16-nation tournament.
Premier League stars set to feature in the tournament include Liverpool and Senegal striker Sadio Mané, Manchester United and Ivory Coasts’ Eric Bailly, Leicester’s Algerian duo Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani, Everton and Congolese winger Yannick Bolasie, Ivorian on-loan Stoke striker Wilfried Bony, West Ham and Ghana forward Andre Ayew and Crystal Palace winger Wilfred Zaha, who recently swapped his international allegiance from England to the Ivory Coast.
Speaking of the announcement, Simon Downing, Head of Eurosport UK and Ireland said: “We are delighted to have secured the Africa Cup of Nations 2017 and 2019 to show live on Eurosport and the Eurosport Player. Africa’s number one sport brings the continent together like nothing else and we are thrilled to cover every moment from the Africa Cup of Nations for football fans in the UK and Ireland once more.”
Victorious in 2015 after beating Ghana on penalties in the final, the Ivory Coast are favourites to lift the trophy once more at the final in Libreville on February 5. Cameroon is the host nation for the 2019 edition.
The addition of the Africa Cup of Nations 2017 and 2019 bolsters Eurosport’s portfolio of live football rights which includes UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in the Netherlands as well as the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2017 in South Korea.
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