DR Congo vs Zambia live stream: How to watch AFCON 2023 game online today, team news

The DR Congo vs Zambia live stream concludes the opening round of Group F matches at the African Cup of Nations 2023. The teams might be 17 places apart in the FIFA rankings but don’t expect this to be straightforward – watch it from anywhere with a VPN.

DR Congo are the higher-ranked side. However, their form has not been great. The Leopards lost a World Cup qualifier to Sudan back in November and a warm-up match against Burkina Faso a few days ago. Zambia, meanwhile, finished top of their AFCON qualifying group, ahead of hosts Ivory Coast, and managed an impressive 1-1 draw with Cameroon during their tournament preparations.

Both teams have some Africa Cup of Nations pedigree. The Copper Bullets took home the title in 2012. Meanwhile, their opponents have qualified 19 times, but have not won the tournament since 1974 (as Zaire). They did finish third in 2015.

Brentford's Yoane Wissa could be key for DR Congo. The Leopards also feature Championship players Grady Diangana from high-flyers West Brom and Edo Kayembe of Watford. Zambia have an attacking threat in the form of Patson Daka, who plays for that division’s runaway leaders Leicester.

Here's how they line up:

DR Congo: Mpasi, Kalulu, Inonga, Mbemba, Masuaku, Moutoussamy, Wissa, Kakuta, Pickel, Bongonda, Bakambu

Zambia: Mulenga, Mwape, Sunzu, Musonda, Kabwe, Kapumbu, Musonda, Kangwa, Banda, Sakala, Daka

Group F has World Cup semi-finalists Morocco as its likely winners. However, that second qualifying spot for the last 16 is very much up for grabs. Who can overcome the heat and humidity to start with a win? Read on for where to get DR Congo vs Zambia live streams – and watch AFCON 2023 games for free – where you are.

How to watch DR Congo vs Zambia live stream for FREE

If you live in South Africa then you can enjoy every single minute of this AFCON 2023 game without spending a penny. That's because the DR Congo vs Zambia 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 dramatic moment without needing a streaming service subscription or having to pay a box office fee.

But what if you're usually based in South Africa but aren't at home for the DR Congo vs Zambia live stream? Perhaps, you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on a paid streaming service in a foreign country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home.

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead, and we'll show you how to do that below. Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on lots of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.

Speed, security and simplicity combine to make ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. In our testing, we were impressed by its fast connection times and by its ability to access more than 3,000 services in 160 locations across 94 countries. A 30-day money-back guarantee is another bonus.

View Deal

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

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 a U.K. service, 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 a DR Congo vs Zambia live stream in the U.S.

Soccer fans in the U.S. will want beIN Sports to catch the AFCON 2023 live streams, including DR Congo vs Zambia, 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 option is Sling TV. The Sling Blue package is priced from $40 per month and it comes with more than 30 channels including USA. New users often get a discount on their first month.

Fubo costs $75 per month for 121 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 DR Congo vs Zambia live streams by using a VPN such as ExpressVPN. And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN.

Sling TV offers two packages, both of which start from $40 a month. The Sling Blue plan comes with 30-plus channels, including beIN Sports for the AFCON 2023 live streams, . New users often get 50% off their first month.

If you love sports, you might want to check out Fubo. For $75 a month, it's got dozens of sports channels, including beIN Sports (plus ESPN and plenty of others), and offers a 7-day free trial.

Another option to watch an AFCON 2023 live stream Fanatiz. The international service offers beIN Sports as part of its Front Row plan, which costs $9.99 a month and provides access to AFCON 2023, as well as a gaggle of Latin American sports continent including international football matches from Brazil and Argentina.

You can stream Fanatiz coverage via your mobile, Amazon Fire TV and stick, Android TV, Apple TV, Hisense TV, Google Chromecast, Airplay, PC and Mac with any web browser.

How to watch a DR Congo vs Zambia live stream in the U.K.

Thanks to a late deal, Sky Sports is now showing every match of AFCON 2023, including a DR Congo vs Zambia live stream. If you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £18/month to add those channels. 

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 at £13/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. 

All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the UK, you can still follow a DR Congo vs Zambia live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch DR Congo vs Zambia in Canada

Canadians can watch a DR Congo vs Zambia live stream on Fubo, which is also the home of Premier League soccer in Canada.

For just CAN$24.99 a month, you'll get access to the Essentials 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.

Canadians stuck abroad that still want their low-price alternative 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 DR Congo vs Zambia in Australia

If you want to watch a DR Congo vs Zambia 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. This costs $19 per month or $179 for the year. 

Alternatively, you can opt for Kayo Sports which includes beIN in its package. Kayo also offers a two-week trial, and after your free 14 days, a basic plan costs $25 a month, while a Premium subscription is a little more expensive at $35.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use ExpressVPN to watch all the action on your travels as if you were back home.

More from Tom's Guide

• Best VPN services on the market
• How to watch Premier League soccer online
• How to get NFL Sunday Ticket online