The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has explained the reason behind the recent increase in prize money for the African Nations Championship (CHAN).
A brand new trophy and a 75% increase in prize money for the winners make this year’s edition co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda exciting.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, the champions will take home a remarkable $3.5 million while the runners-up will earn $1.2 million with the third and fourth-place teams getting $700,000 and $600,000, respectively.
Each of the four losing quarter-finalists will receive $450,000, while teams finishing third or fourth in their groups will be awarded $300,000 or $200,000, depending on the group format.
"We are excited about the upcoming CAF African Nations Championship Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 and have significantly increased the prize money of the winner to USD 3.5 million which is an increase of 75%,"Motsepe had said.
"We have also increased the total prize money of the tournament to USD 10.4 million which is a 32% increase. The CHAN is an important competition for the development and growth of Africa-based football players and talented young players and will contribute significantly to the global competitiveness of African football and CAF competitions.
"This competition is part of our strategy of investing in African football and making it appealing and attractive to football fans, TV viewers, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders in Africa and worldwide."
This year’s tournament will make history as the first-ever edition of the CHAN to be co-hosted by three nations.
Reserved exclusively for players competing in Africa’s domestic leagues, the competition will see matches played across Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kampala, and Nairobi from August 2-30.
It also welcomes debutants Central African Republic, who will make their first appearance in a competitive Group B alongside Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.
Senegal are the reigning African champions having defeated Algeria on penalties in the last edition.
They will be aiming to defend their title, but first, they must navigate a challenging Group D featuring Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria.
