Nigeria vs South Africa live stream: how to watch AFCON 2023 semi-final online and on TV from anywhere, team news

Watch a Nigeria vs South Africa live stream

The Nigeria vs South Africa AFCON 2023 semi-final is free to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK and SABC Plus in South Africa. Away from home? You can use a VPN to unblock your stream from anywhere. Full details on how to watch the Nigeria vs South Africa live stream just below.

Nigeria vs South Africa: preview

South Africa are into the AFCON semi-finals for the first time in 24 years, but they're going to have to find a way to stop Ademola Lookman today if they're to get the better of Nigeria, who've won all three of their previous Africa Cup of Nations encounters.

Throughout this competition, the case for the Super Eagles has focused on their attacking riches, spearheaded by Victor Osimhen. However, it's largely down to their backline that they've got this far. Jose Peseiro's men have conceded once all tournament, while at the other end of the pitch Osimhen has been distinctly off the pace. 

Fortunately for Nigeria, the lesser-heralded Atalanta man Lookman has discovered a golden touch, while Moses Simon has been unplayable at times, popping up with game-changing contributions left, right and centre.

The Bafana Bafana too have built their success on a solid backline, anchored by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who saved a jaw-dropping four penalties in their shootout victory over Cape Verde. Perhaps suffering a hangover from their magnificent upset of tournament favourites Morocco, Hugo Broos' men rode their luck in the last round, though they'll be relieved that Evidence Makgopa's goal drought is over.

Nigeria team: Nwabali; Aina, Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey; Osayi-Samuel, Onyeka, Iwobi; Lookman, Simon, Osimhen

South Africa team: Williams; Kekana, Xulu, Mvala, Modiba; Mokoena, Sithole, Zwane; Mudau, Makgopa, Tau

In this guide, we explain how to get a Nigeria vs South Africa live stream and watch Africa Cup of Nations 2023, with the help of a VPN if you're away travelling at the moment.

FREE Nigeria vs South Africa live streams

Where to find FREE Nigeria vs South Africa live streams

The UK's BBC iPlayer (free to watch with a TV licence) will show Nigeria vs South Africa, along with every remaining game of the tournament.

In South Africa, SABC is offering free streams of AFCON games, with Nigeria vs South Africa included.

Other Sub-Saharan African countries can also tune in for free thanks to broadcaster New World TV.

If you're overseas during AFCON 2023, use the no.1 soccer VPN to unblock your usual stream from anywhere. Find more details below.

How to watch Nigeria vs South Africa from outside your country

If you’re overseas when Nigeria vs South Africa is on and try to watch the live action on your normal streaming service, you'll inevitably find that the coverage is blocked due to geographical rights reasons.

You can get past these blocks, however, by using a VPN. A virtual private network allows you to change your computer, smartphone or streaming device's IP address to a location that is showing your usual coverage.

Use a VPN to stream Nigeria vs South Africa from anywhere:

ExpressVPN – get the world's best VPN
We regularly test all the biggest and best VPN providers and ExpressVPN has consistently been top of the pile for the last few years. They don't come easier to use than this. It's fast, secure and we love that there's genuinely helpful 24/7 support available if you ever run into issues.

Plus, if you sign up for its best value annual plan, you'll receive an extra 3 months absolutely FREE and there's a no-quibble refund available in the first 30 days if you decide it's not for you.

- Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

How to use a VPN to watch Nigeria vs South Africa

You can get started with a VPN in three easy steps:

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN.

2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location. For example, you can use ExpressVPN's UK server to watch Nigeria vs South Africa on BBC iPlayer.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream – head to the relevant streaming service and watch as if you were back at home.

Global Nigeria vs South Africa live streams

How to watch Nigeria vs South Africa for FREE in the UK

The BBC will show Nigeria vs South Africa for free. Kick-off is scheduled for 5pm GMT on Wednesday afternoon, and live coverage starts on BBC Two at 4.30pm.

Nigeria vs South Africa is also available to live stream on BBC iPlayer, which is free to watch with a valid TV licence. The platform service works across a huge array of devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, media streaming devices like Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Roku, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

The game is also on Sky Sports. Subscribers can also tune in via the Sky Go streaming service. If you want to sign up, you can check out our dedicated guide to Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.

Don't fancy being locked in to a long, expensive contract? Now Sports offers a more flexible option with Day (£11.99) and Month (£34.99) Membership options.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the UK, you'll need to download a good streaming VPN, as detailed above. 

How to watch Nigeria vs South Africa: live stream soccer without cable in the US

International pay-TV sports specialist beIN Sports is the exclusive broadcaster of AFCON 2023 in the US. Nigeria vs South Africa kicks off at 12pm ET / 9am PT on Wednesday.

If you don't have beIN Sports on cable, you can watch Nigeria vs South Africa via an OTT cord-cutting service.

Sling TV is probably the best value around. You'll need one of its base Orange or Blue plans, costing from $40 a month (50% off your first 30 days) and then get its Sports Extra add-on for just $11 extra.

A costlier (but more thorough) option is Fubo. Its standard Pro plan generally costs $79.99 a month for access to more than 180 channels – including beIN. You can try before you buy with the Fubo FREE 7-day trial.

Dish TV and YouTube TV also have plans that carry beIN Sports.

And don't forget, a quality VPN will let you take your preferred streaming service with you wherever you go, even if that's abroad.

How to watch Nigeria vs South Africa: live stream soccer in Canada

beIN Sports is the exclusive broadcaster of AFCON 2023 in Canada too, with Nigeria vs South Africa set to kick off at 12pm ET / 9am PT on Wednesday.

beIN is available through most cable providers, including Bell, Rogers and Shaw, but there's also the option for cord cutters to use beIN's standalone streaming service beIN Sports Connect.

The service is available for a modest outlay of $14.99 for a monthly pass or a yearly commitment for $99.99 per year. It has dedicated apps for smartphones and tablets, as well as a number of Smart TV platforms.

How to live stream Nigeria vs South Africa in Australia

Fans in Australia can watch Nigeria vs South Africa on beIN Sports. Just be warned that kick-off is set for 4am AEDT in the early hours of Thursday morning.

beIN Sports costs $14.99 a month or you can effectively get 12 months for the price of 10 with the $149.99 annual plan. And if you're new to the specialist sports streamer, you can take advantage of its FREE 7-day trial.

For beIN subscribers who find themselves outside Australia while the event is on, you can use a VPN to avoid annoying geo-blocking.

How to watch Nigeria vs South Africa in New Zealand

beIN Sports is the place to watch Nigeria vs South Africa in New Zealand too. The game kicks off at 6am NZDT first thing on Thursday morning.

The service costs $14.99 a month or $149.99 a year, and there's a 7-day FREE trial available for new customers to beIN.