Source: @Dstv Installation

SuperSport has been one of the most familiar homes for African football in South Africa, but its position around the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is now uncertain. A Sunday Times report says the broadcaster is at risk of missing out after CAF received competing bids from a large field of interested companies.

The issue is bigger than one tournament. CAF has been pursuing higher returns from its commercial rights, while the market for African football has attracted broadcasters and media groups prepared to spend heavily for access to major competitions.

AFCON 2027 will take place in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July. It will be the first edition hosted jointly by the three countries, giving the tournament an additional commercial appeal as African football returns to East Africa.

Why SuperSport is under pressure

CAF opened its Sub-Saharan media rights tender in August, covering both free-to-air and pay-TV rights in English, Swahili, Portuguese, isiZulu, Wolof, Yoruba and other local languages. The tender closed on 14 September, with French-language pay-TV rights excluded from the package.

According to the Sunday Times, at least 15 companies expressed interest, while New World TV and Sport TV were regarded as leading contenders. The report also states that SuperSport’s bid was below some competing offers. CAF has not publicly confirmed the ranking of the bids or named a successful broadcaster.

That leaves SuperSport facing a very different commercial environment from earlier AFCON cycles. The broadcaster secured coverage of the Morocco tournament through a sub-licence from New World TV, rather than holding the underlying CAF rights itself.

The financial figures reported around the latest bidding process help explain the pressure. The Sunday Times reported that SuperSport paid about R105 million for the previous AFCON rights, while beIN Sports has reportedly paid around R1.5 billion per tournament in its markets. CAF has also said its 2025 AFCON in Morocco generated more than 3.2 billion TV views and six billion digital views, underlining the scale of the audience available to rights holders.

For South African viewers, the eventual decision could affect where AFCON 2027 can be watched and how extensive the coverage becomes. CAF has already confirmed that broadcasters, including SABC, are showing the 2027 qualifiers, while SuperSport remains part of CAF’s wider broadcast network for football events.

CAF says the evaluation process is nearing completion, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks. Until that decision is made, SuperSport remains in contention, but the numbers around the tender suggest that retaining AFCON will require competing in a market where premium African football rights are attracting considerably more money.