The winner of the forthcoming TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to take place in Cote d’Ivoire from Jan.13 through Feb.11, 2024 shall rake in $7 million, a 40 percent increase from the previous AFCON held in Cameroon in 2022, according to a recent announcement by the confederation of African Football (CAF).
“CAF has made significant progress over the past two years in increasing the Prize Money of the AFCON and all its other major competitions,” declared CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe.
Over the last decade CAF has progressively made increases from $1.5 million in 2013 and 2015 to $4 million in 2017 and $4.5 million in 2019. In 2022, CAF increased the prize money from $4.5 million by $500.000 to $5 million. The $2.5 million increase in 2017 remains the highest ever in CAF’s history and the indomitable lions of Cameroon took home the $4 million prize money for that year.
According to the release, each of the four teams that shall lose at the quarter finals shall bag $1.3 million while the two losers from the semi-finals shall take home $2.5 million. The runners up of the finals shall cash in $4 million.
“I am confident that a portion of the Prize Money will contribute to developing football and also benefit all the football stakeholders, as well as assist our Member Associations with their administrations.”
Meanwhile Qatar is hosting the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup from Jan.12 through Feb. 10, 2024 and the tournament’s total prize money pool is $14,800,000. The competition’s champion will receive $5 million with the runners-up taking $3 million. The losing semi-finalists will receive $1 million each. All 24 participating teams would also receive $200,000.
Germany shall stage the UEFA Euro2024 from June 4 through July 14, 2024. The total prize money for this competition is a whooping €331 million with the champion taking home €8m million, runners-up €5m, semi-finalists €4m, quarter-finalists €2.5 million and round of 16 qualifiers €1.5 million. For qualifying and participating each team gets €9.25 million. The maximum amount that the champion team may achieve, if they will have won all three of their group matches, is €28.25m.
CONMEBOL COPA America shall run during the summer of 2024 and has a 25 million prize pool with the champion taking home $10 million and the runner up taking home $5 million, $3 million shall be awarded to the third-placed nation and $2 million to the fourth placed. Each of the teams that shall qualify for the quarter finals shall receive $1.5 million
CAF’s prize money pool of $21.2 million stands tall above the AFC’s $14.8 million and shy of COPA America’s $25 million. CAF’s $7 million prize for the champion is close to UEFA’s $8.76 million. It is significant that CAF’s competition comes every two years while the others come once every four years.
Unlike the other competitions that give each participating team, some incentive, CAF begins rewarding only teams that qualify to the quarter finals. And an email response to questions, CAF confirms that “AFCON’s prize money is distributed according to the stage and not the match results.”
According to CAF’s last audited financial statements of June 2023, CAF spent $26,650 total prize money for the 2021 AFCON that held in Cameroon in 2022.