WeeklySA_AdminSTREAMING: As AFCON 2025 kicks off in Morocco, millions of fans will tune in from across Africa and the world. But behind the excitement lies a hard truth: content piracy is draining the lifeblood of African football and threatening its future…
By WSAM Sports Correspondent
When Morocco faces Comoros in Rabat on 21 December 2025, the opening match of the 35th edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will officially set Africa’s biggest football spectacle in motion.
A packed Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, with its 68 000 seats, will provide the electric atmosphere on the ground — but the real audience will be watching from living rooms, sports bars and mobile screens across the continent and beyond.
AFCON is not only Africa’s premier football tournament; it is also a global broadcast phenomenon. During the previous tournament, the semi-final clash between South Africa and Nigeria attracted a record-breaking television audience of 10.3 million viewers, while the competition as a whole reached an estimated cumulative audience of 1.4 billion worldwide.
This extraordinary reach explains why broadcast rights are the tournament’s economic engine. Media companies invest billions of rand to secure rights that allow fans to enjoy AFCON in their home markets. In sub-Saharan Africa, these rights are held by MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, through its SuperSport sports broadcasting platform.
Media funds football
Broadcast rights do far more than deliver matches to screens. They sustain an entire ecosystem that runs for the duration of the month-long tournament — from production crews, accommodation providers and transport services, to caterers and technical specialists.
Crucially, broadcast licence fees help fund the Confederation of African Football (CAF), underpinning youth development programmes, grassroots structures and national team preparations. Media revenue pays for pitches, kits, referees, coaches, administrators and elite training camps. In short, media income keeps African football alive.
Yet this ecosystem is fragile.
Broadcasters can only continue investing if they can recover the immense costs of rights fees through subscriptions, advertising and pay-per-view services. When that income is undermined, the ripple effect threatens the entire sport.
Piracy: the invisible opponent
Ironically, major sporting events such as AFCON are prime targets for content pirates. Illegal streaming sites siphon viewers away from legitimate platforms, diverting revenue that should support African football into the hands of criminal syndicates operating far from the continent.
For many fans, watching a pirated stream may feel like a victimless act. In reality, it robs football associations of vital funding needed for youth development, player welfare and competitive excellence. Without sustainable revenue, the sport’s foundations weaken — and eventually collapse.
The impact of piracy is global. In Spain, LaLiga estimates that audiovisual fraud costs Spanish football between €600 million and €700 million annually. In the United Kingdom, the Premier League blocked over 600 000 illegal live streams in a single season as part of its ongoing anti-piracy campaign.
Beyond financial damage, pirate platforms expose users to malware, hacking, identity theft and harmful content. Fragmented illegal distribution also makes it harder to measure viewership accurately, reducing football’s appeal to sponsors and long-term partners.
Rescuing the game
Initiatives such as Partners Against Piracy are working to strengthen legal frameworks across Africa, support law enforcement action and educate fans on the consequences of piracy. Cybersecurity firms like Irdeto are deploying advanced technologies to protect legitimate broadcasts, track illegal feeds and push users back toward lawful viewing platforms through continuous authentication innovations.
But the most powerful defence lies with the public. When fans understand that piracy undermines the sport they love, they are empowered to make ethical choices that help build, rather than destroy, African football.
As AFCON 2025 unfolds, the decision rests with every viewer. Each match watched legally helps fund the dreams of young players, the pride of nations and the future of the game itself.
When you watch football, the choice is yours: will you contribute to the slow erosion of the sport — or help secure its future?
