SportyTV Secures Free-to-Air World Cup Rights Across Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya
Image background cover courtesy Visit Mexico (VM)
SportyTV has secured free-to-air rights to broadcast 34 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 across Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya - including the opening match, knockout-stage fixtures and the final - in an eleventh-hour deal that reshapes free access to the tournament in three of Africa's largest football markets.
The package covers 17 group-stage and 17 knockout matches. All 34 will also stream live and free on SportyTV's official YouTube channel, with every match additionally available through the SportyTV app and OTT platform.
The deal follows SportyTV's April acquisition of pay-television rights to all 104 matches in South Africa, struck directly with FIFA - together representing the Sporty Group-owned platform's most ambitious rights investment to date.
"This is exactly the type of opportunity SportyTV was created for," said Elias Gallego, Vice President of Business Development, Marketing & Media at Sporty Group. "The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet, and our ambition is to make it available to as many fans as possible. Securing free-to-air rights across Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya allows us to reach millions of people through both television and digital platforms, while creating a World Cup coverage operation that matches the scale of the tournament itself."
A production operation spanning three continents
From its studios in Lagos, SportyTV will produce daily live programming throughout the tournament, including special editions of its flagship show SportyLive, pre- and post-match coverage, breaking news shows and exclusive interviews - supported by the network's production hub in Madrid. Reporting teams will be deployed across the United States, Mexico and Canada, covering all three host nations on the ground.
"We are investing heavily in production, talent, original content and on-the-ground reporting because we believe fans deserve much more than simply watching the matches," Gallego added. "Our goal is to deliver the most complete, engaging and accessible World Cup experience ever offered to audiences across these territories."
The Ghana consortium and what this partnership means
In Ghana, SportyTV will participate in a broadcast consortium led by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) - placing a commercial partner inside the government-backed rights structure that Accra funded in part through a GHS 5 million (~$443,000) donation from GCB Bank. The network says it will collaborate with state broadcasters and public media partners across its territories to extend reach.
The deal adds a new layer to the most fragmented World Cup rights landscape Africa has ever seen - one where New World TV holds primary sub-Saharan rights, SuperSport operates as a sub-licensee, AzamTV controls an East African block, and governments in Ghana and Kenya have intervened directly to keep matches off the paywall.
It's also notable for what it isn't: of the three markets in this deal, only Ghana qualified for the tournament. SportyTV - owned by the same group behind SportyBet - is betting that the World Cup travels even where the national team didn't, and that free access funded by betting-adjacent money is the model that wins African audiences.
Read our full breakdown of the continent's World Cup rights map: Who Owns the World Cup in Africa? The Broadcast Deals Behind the Tournament.
