Mali vs. South Africa live stream completes the opening round of Group E matches in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023, available from anywhere with a VPN.

South Africa has won the AFCON only once before, in 2006 when they were the host nation. This time around, the team will be coached by Ugo Bruce, who has won the tournament in the past with Cameroon. He has made some major decisions, including removing Burnley's Lyle Foster and not selecting any Kaizer Chiefs players.

Mali has never been on top of the African continent, but will be hoping to win this African Cup of Nations. Les Yeres have Tottenham's Yves Bissouma and Wolves' Boubacar Traore. Spurs will start, but Cheick Doucoure, Ibrahima Kone, Moussa Genepo, and Massadio Haidara are out injured.

Mali's starting lineup is as follows:

Mali Diarra, Traore (C), Haidara, Kouyate, Niakate, Bissouma, Sacco, Koita, Dieng, Sinayoko, Doumbia

South Africa Williams (C), Modiba, Mbarra, Sour, Mdau; Maseko, Sitre, Mokoena, Tau; Makgopa, Zwane

Group E will be a tough competition. A third place finish may be enough to advance to the last 16, but neither team will want to take any risks. Winning this opening match is crucial. Who will get the three points? Click here for live streaming of Mali vs South Africa and to watch the AFCON 2023 match for free.

If you live in South Africa, you can enjoy every minute of this AFCON 2023 match without spending a dime. That's because Mali vs. South Africa will be broadcast and streamed for free.

The entire match will be televised via the SABC, with an online stream available on SABC Plus, so you can watch every dramatic moment without having to subscribe to a streaming service or pay a box office fee.

But what if you are normally based in South Africa but won't be home for the Mali vs. South Africa live stream? Perhaps you are on vacation and don't want to spend money on a paid streaming service in a foreign country when you can usually watch for free at home.

Don't worry - you can watch it through a VPN instead and we'll show you how to do it below. Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on many devices, and even comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, but there are others on our list of best VPN services.

Using a VPN is incredibly easy.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we have mentioned, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. select the location you want to connect to with the VPN app. For example, if you are in the US or UK and want to see South African service, select South Africa from the list.

3. sit back and enjoy the action; access SABC Plus or another service and watch the matches.

U.S. soccer fans will want beIN Sports to catch the live stream of AFCON 2023, including Mali vs. South Africa, and there are many ways to tune in.

beIN Sports is available on 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 starts at $40 per month and offers more than 30 channels, including USA. New users often get a discount on their first month.

Fubo has 121 channels for $75/month, including beIN Sports, ESPN, NBC, and many others; there is also a 7-day free trial.

There is also Fanatiz for $9.99, which offers access to live streams of AFCON 2023.

If you already use these services but are not in the US right now, you can use a VPN such as ExpressVPN to watch the Mali vs. South Africa live stream. And if for some reason it doesn't work, ExpressVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Thanks to a late deal, Sky Sports is showing all AFCON 2023 matches, including a live stream of Mali vs South Africa. If you already have a Sky subscription that does not include Sports, you will need to pay £18/month to add these channels.

Whichever package you choose, you can also watch 4K and HDR broadcasts if you have an HDR-enabled Sky Q box and an HLG-enabled TV.

Sky Glass is another option. Sky TV can be viewed on a 4K TV with a built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar. Prices start at £13/month for the TV, plus a Sky sub.

If you don't want to spend the money on a Sky subscription, you could consider the Now Sports streaming service, available for 24 hours for £11.99 or a month for £34.99.

All of these are great services. But even if you are not in the UK, you can follow the Mali vs South Africa live stream by using one of the best VPN services such as ExpressVPN.

Canadians can watch Mali vs. South Africa live stream on Fubo, which is also the home of Canadian Premier League soccer.

For just CAN$24.99 per month, you can access the Essentials plan and watch AFCON 2023 games via beIN Sports, all Premier League games, all Serie A games, plus 29 channels including MLB Network for $39.99. premium plan adds 20 entertainment channels and more.

Canadians stuck abroad seeking a lower-cost alternative can use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to trick their streaming devices into thinking they are back in the great white north.

If you want to watch the Mali vs. South Africa live stream from Australia, you will need 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 per year.

Alternatively, you can opt for Kayo Sports, which includes beIN in its packages; Kayo also offers a two-week trial, and after 14 days of free, the basic plan costs $25 per month, while the premium subscription is a bit more expensive at $35.

Currently not available in Australia, simply use ExpressVPN to see all the action as if you were at home while traveling.