The German league, Bundesliga, has announced the expansion of its direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering, known as the Bundesliga Pass, into two new markets in sub-Saharan Africa. This move comes after a successful debut in South Africa back in 2025.
Bundesliga Pass is now available to sports fans in Kenya and will soon be launched in Nigeria. In Kenya, the service will showcase every top-flight Bundesliga and second-tier 2.Bundesliga fixture. A similar rollout is scheduled for Nigeria shortly.
To distribute this service effectively across these regions, Bundesliga has partnered with leading telecom operators Vodacom (South Africa), Safaricom (Kenya), and MTN (Nigeria). The service is also available as a paid add-on via the OneFootball platform.
Existing broadcasting rights
In South Africa, public-service network SABC continues to hold linear rights for broadcasting Bundesliga matches. Meanwhile, regional pay-TV giant Canal+ holds the league’s rights in both Kenya and Nigeria along with over 40 other territories on the African continent.
Peer Naubert, chief executive of the Bundesliga International, said:
“The future of football in Africa is mobile. With mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa growing faster than anywhere else globally, and smartphone data usage forecast to nearly triple by 2030, we saw the opportunity with South Africa as a mobile-first, football-crazy market last year and became the first league with a direct-to-consumer offering.
“South Africa showed how strongly fans respond when you give them more ways to connect with the Bundesliga. Kenya and Nigeria are the next step – scaling that approach with strong partners.”
Bundesliga’s expansion into Kenya and Nigeria is a significant step towards increasing its fan base in Africa. This move not only brings top-tier European football closer to African sports fans but also provides an opportunity for local talent to gain global recognition.
