Less than a week into the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and the Ivory Coast already have the chance to secure a place in the knockout stages. They take on the struggling Super Eagles at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in stormy Abidjan today — and you can watch it live from anywhere with a VPN.
The Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream takes place on Thursday, January 18.
► Time 5 p.m. GMT / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 4 a.m. AEDT (Jan. 19)
• FREE — SABC Plus (South Africa)
• U.K. — Sky Sports
• U.S. — beIN Sports via SlingTV, Fubo or Fanatiz
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
A win today would take the Elephants through as group toppers, which would give them a preferential draw in the last 16 against a team finishing third place in their pool. But, realistically, even a draw should suffice to take Ivory Coast through to the next stage.
The same can't be said for Nigeria, who fluffed their lines at the first time of asking against Equatorial Guinea. After unexpectedly falling behind, it took the recently crowned African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen to draw the Super Eagles level. And although they mustered a total of 19 shots on goal, they were unable to kill off the minnows whose goalkeeper Jesus Owono had an inspired game.
These two sides haven't met for nine years, but it's Nigeria who will have the fonder memories of their last AFCON encounter in 2013 — the Super Eagles were on the winning end of a close 2-1 in the quarter finals, on their way to lifting the trophy. The storm clouds may be gathering at the ground, but a win today would leave Nigeria departing Abidjan with a much sunnier disposition.
It's looking like AFCON 2023's first unmissable match. So read on to discover where to watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live streams — and watch AFCON 2023 games for FREE — where you are.
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria team news:
Ivory Coast: Yahia Fofana, Aurier, Diomande, Ndicka, Konan, Kessie, Ibrahim Sangare, Seko Fofana, Boga, Krasso, Kouame
Nigeria: Nwabali, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey, Aina, Onyeka, Iwobi, Sanusi, Chukwueze, Osimhen, Lookman
How to watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream for FREE
If you live in the South Africa then you can enjoy every single minute of this AFCON 2023 game without spending a cent. That's because Ivory Coast vs Nigeria will be broadcast and streaming for FREE.
The full game will be televised via SABC with an online stream available on SABC Plus, so you can watch every single moment without needing a streaming service subscription.
The problems arise if you happen to find yourself abroad while the Africa Cup of Nations is on, as rights restrictions mean you won't be able to use SABC Plus overseas. Assuming you don't want to sign up for a whole new streaming service for the time you're away, there is a great alternative...
If you download and install a VPN (virtual private network), you can get around those geo-restrictions with ease — see the three easy steps below. From our rigorous testing, ExpressVPN comes out on top of our best VPN service rankings as it's fast, works on lots of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
It's really easy to use a VPN to watch live sport when overseas:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. We think ExpressVPN is the best you can get.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.S. or U.K. and want to view SABC Plus, you'd select South Africa from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to SABC Plus or another service and watch the game.
How to watch an Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream in the U.S.
Soccer fans in the U.S. will need beIN Sports to catch AFCON 2023 live streams, including Ivory Coast vs Nigeria at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT on Thursday, and there are plenty of ways to tune in.
beIN Sports is available through most cable packages as well as some of the best cable TV alternatives, including Sling TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV.
For cord-cutters, one of the best value options is Sling TV. The Sling Blue package is priced from $40/month and it comes with more than 30 channels. New users get a half-price discount on their first month, and then you'll just need to add its Sports Extra add-on for an additional $11/month to include beIN.
Fubo costs $75 per month for 120+ channels and includes beIN Sports, plus ESPN, NBC and plenty of others besides. It also offer a 7-day free trial.
There's also Fanatiz, which costs $9.99 and provides access to the AFCON 2023 live streams.
If you already use those services but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live streams by using a VPN such as ExpressVPN. And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that there's 24/7 live support and you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN.
How to watch an Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream in the U.K.
Sky Sports is showing every match of AFCON 2023 in the U.K., including this Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream at 5 p.m. GMT on Thursday evening. It will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.
If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, its currently costs an extra £18/month to add Sky Sports Football or £22/month for the whole Sky Sports suite. Whichever package you go for, you'll also gain access to coverage in 4K and HDR, so long as you also have an HDR-ready Sky Q box and HLG-compatible TV.
Sky Glass is another option. This gives you Sky TV within a 4K TV that has a built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar, and without the need for a dish. Prices start from £14/month for the TV, plus a Sky sub on top of that.
If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider its Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £11.99 or month-long access for £34.99.
Some games are also being shown for free on the BBC iPlayer, but Ivory Coast vs Nigeria isn't one of them.
And if you're not in the U.K., you can still follow an Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN.
How to watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria in Canada
Canadians can watch an Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream on Fubo, which is also the home of Premier League soccer in Canada.
For just CAN$24.99/month, you'll get access to the Sports Monthly plan, which gets you AFCON 2023 matches via beIN Sports, all Premier League matches, all Serie A matches plus 29 channels including MLB Network. The $39.99 Premium plan adds 20 entertainment channels and more on top of that. There's also a free Fubo trial and extra savings to be made if you sign up for a quarterly or annual plan.
Alternatively, you can go directly with beIN Sports, which gets you far less content but only costs $14.99/month or $99.99/year.
Canadians stuck abroad that still want to access their low-price streaming plan can use a VPN such as ExpressVPN to trick their streaming device into thinking it's back in the great white north.
How to watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria in Australia
If you want to watch an Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live stream from Australia you'll need to have access to beIN Sports. This can be added to your TV package, or you can sign up for beIN as a separate subscription. It costs $15/month or $150 for the year. And that's all after you've enjoyed its free 1-week trial.
This game is set to kick off at 4 a.m. AEDT on the morning of Friday, Jan. 19.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use ExpressVPN to watch all the action on your travels as if you were back home.
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