Canal+ Locks Up Senegalese Wrestling Rights Across Sub-Saharan Africa

Canal+ has secured exclusive broadcasting rights to six of the biggest Senegalese wrestling events of the 2026-2027 season, covering French-speaking, English-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa under a deal struck with production company Beuz Pro.

The agreement, announced on October 26, 2026, extends the Vivendi-owned broadcaster's push into African content beyond its core football and entertainment offering. It builds on an earlier test: Canal+ Sport 1 carried the Royal Clash last April, a broadcast that Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot cited as proof of demand for the sport.

Coverage starts in November. Senegalese wrestling will air on Canal+ Sport channels in French and Wolof, and on SuperSport in English, reaching viewers in more than 40 countries across the region.

What is on the schedule?

The six-event calendar runs from late November through July 2027, anchored by fights featuring the sport's best-known names:

• November 29, 2026 — The Verdict: Ada Fass vs Balla Gaye 2
• January 3, 2027 — The Royal Clash: Sa Thiès vs Siteu
• February 7, 2027 — The Fight of the Millennium: Franc vs Reug Reug
• April 4, 2027 — The Independence Derby: Ama Baldé vs Lac de Guiers 2, plus Eumeu Sène vs Jackson
• June and July 2027 — two additional major events, with dates yet to be fixed

The promoters behind the events are Al Bourakh Events and Jambaar Productions, two leading figures on the Senegalese wrestling scene, with Beuz Pro handling production.

Why does the deal matter for Canal+?

For Canal+ Africa, the contract is a content play aimed at a sport with deep local roots and a passionate following in Senegal. Mignot framed it as part of a wider strategy, saying: "Following the broadcast of the Royal Clash on Canal+ Sport 1 last April, and through this new partnership announced today, Canal+ reaffirms its ambition to expand its portfolio of African content and its commitment to giving Senegalese wrestling, one of Senegal's most iconic sports, exceptional visibility across more than 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa."

Beuz Pro CEO Ibrahima Faye called the agreement a turning point for the sport itself. "This partnership marks a historic milestone for Senegalese wrestling," he said. "Together with Canal+ and our promoter partners, we are giving our sport the visibility it has long deserved across Sub-Saharan Africa."

Can local sport travel across a continent?

The bet behind the deal is that a sport long confined to its home market can find audiences far beyond it. Wrestling occupies a place in Senegalese culture comparable to what top-flight football holds elsewhere in West Africa, drawing stadium crowds and national attention for its headline matchups.

The multilingual broadcast plan signals how seriously the partners take that question. Offering commentary in French and Wolof serves the core Senegalese and francophone audience, while the SuperSport feed in English targets anglophone markets such as Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana where the sport has little established base.

The two June and July 2027 events, still to be scheduled, will show whether audience momentum holds across a full season. If the November 29 opener between Ada Fass and Balla Gaye 2 delivers strong numbers across all three language feeds, expect Canal+ to weigh a longer-term role in African traditional sports rights.