The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has announced a massive increase in prize money for this year’s edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) which is taking place in Morocco. The Afcon will kick-off tonight when the hosts Morocco face Comoros in Rabat. Opening ceremony is at 7:00pm and kick-off for the match is at 9:00pm (SA time).
The winners will receive a whopping $10-million (R170-million). This means that there is a $3-million (R50-million) increase after Ivory Coast, who won the 2023 edition on home soil, pocketed $7-million (R125-million). The stakes have now been upped by an impressive 43%.
The runners-up will receive $4 million (R68-million), while the two semi-finalists each receive $2.5 million (R42-million).
Motsepe also announced that the Afcon will be held every four years from 2028. The tournament has taken place every two years since 1968, with a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions. But it will switch to a four-year cycle after the 2027 Afcon in East Africa and a 2028 edition. The 2027 tournament will be co-hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
Motsepe also mentioned the creation of the African Nations League, which will take place in September, October and November every year from 2029.
The competition will see all 54 member associates split into four zones, with six nations in the Northern zone and 16 nations in the Eastern, Western and Central and Southern zones.
Matches will be played in September and October, with the champions from each region meeting in November to then decide an overall winner.
The announcements were made yesterday following a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (Exco) in Rabat, Morocco, a day before the kick-off of the tournament.
The winners of the  Afcon Cameroon 2021 received $5-million and with the figure having doubled to $10 million in 2025, it marks an astonishing 100% increase over a four-year period.
Historic increase in Afcon prizemoney:
- Afcon Cameroon 2021: USD 5 Million
- Afcon Ivory Coast 2023: USD 7 Million
- Afcon Morocco 2025: USD 10 Million
