How to Live Stream the African Cup of Nations Semi-Finals 2019

Keita Balde of Senegal during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match between Senegal and Benin at 30th June Stadium on July 10, 2019 in Cairo, Egypt. (Image credit: Visionhaus/Getty)

Update: Senegal and Algeria have moved on to the African Cup of Nations 2019 final. Read our guide on how to live stream that match on July 19. 

We're down to the final stages of the biennial African Cup of Nations and only four teams remain: Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and Algeria. We've put together a guide on how to stream the African Cup of Nations semi-finals matches, so you can find out which team will take home the crown and earn the title of best African soccer nation.

We've got instructions for watching the action from the U.S. and the U.K., as well as instructions for how to watch via your cable subscription or streaming on your phone, tablet or laptop. Traveling? We've also got recommendations for how to use a VPN to watch from a different country.  

When is the African Cup of Nations semi-finals?

The first round of the African Cup of Nations semi-finals between Senegal and Tunisia will begin on Sunday, July 14 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern | 9:00 a.m. Pacific | 5:00 p.m. BST. That match will be followed by the second semi-finals match between Nigeria and Algeria at 3:00 p.m. Eastern | 12:00 p.m. Pacific | 8 p.m. BST.  

Where can I live stream the African Cup of Nations Semi-Finals in the U.S.? 

The beIn Sports networks have the rights to all AFCON 2019 matches in the United States, and broadcast on several cable providers, including Cox, Spectrum, Frontier and Atlantic Broadband. beIn Sports will air the semi-finals of AFCON on the main beIN Sports and beIn Sports en Espanol channels.

If you have a cable subscription but aren't near a TV, then you can stream the matches from beIN Sports Connect. Just visit connect.beinsports.com/us and sign in with your cable credentials. You can also watch from the beIN Sports Connect app available on Android, iOS and Roku. 

Unfortunately, DirectTV, Comcast/Xfinity, and U-Verse all dropped beIN Sports last year so customers of those TV providers will have to use another route to stream AFCON games.

How can I live stream the AFCON semi-finals in the U.S.?

If you're a cord-cutter or beIN Sports isn't offered by your TV provider, then you can sign-up for a separate subscription to either Sling TV or fuboTV, two popular on-demand streaming services. 

Sling TV starts at $15 for a bundle of popular channels, including ESPN, AMC, A&E, Food Network and HGTV. For access to beIN Sports, you'll need to spend an extra $10 a month for the Sports Extra package or $5 for the Best of Spanish TV package. 

Another streaming option is fuboTV, which has a lineup of 90+ channels (A&E, BBC America, Big Ten Network, beIN Sports, Fox Soccer Plus) focused primarily on sports. fuboTV costs $55 a month for two simultaneous streams and 30 hours of cloud-based DVR storage. 

Both Sling TV and fuboTV have apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Chromecast, so you can watch the AFCON matches on your TV without a cable subscription.

How can I watch the AFCON semi-finals in the U.K.?

Every AFCON 2019 match will be shown on Eurosport 1 and 2. If those aren't part of your Sky, Virgin Media or BT TV packages, then you'll need to use a different service to stream the matches. 

If you're an Amazon Prime member, Eurosports channels cost £6.99 a month. You can also stream using Eurosport Player for £9.99 a month, which gives you access to Eurosport 1 and 2.

How to I use a VPN to watch the AFCON semi-finals?

If you’re traveling outside the country, but don’t want to miss the semi-finals matches, a virtual private network, or VPN, could be an ideal choice. Actually choosing a service could be a challenge, but fortunately, we’ve tested out many different offerings to find out who offers the best VPN. Our top pick is ExpressVPN, which offers superb speeds that will meet the needs of most users, but you’ve got other options as well.

ExpressVPN

Our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN costs as little as $6.77 per month if you sign up for a one-year contract, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you just need ExpressVPN for a month, it’s $12.95.

NordVPN

Cheap and secure, NordVPN is just $2.99/month for a three-year contract, while a month of service costs $11.95. NordVPN uses 2048-bit encryption and makes it easy to use streaming services.

TunnelBear

Performance is just average, but this is one of the simpler VPNs out there, and at $9.99 for one month of service, TunnelBear is a lower-cost option if you just want to use the VPN during the final few days of the African Cup of Nations tournament.

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. Previously, he was a Senior Writer at Tom's Guide and has also been a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.