The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has upped the prize kitty for the forthcoming Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) winner by a whopping 75 per cent to Ksh 453 million (USD 3.5 million) in a move that is set to boost competitiveness.
A statement from CAF as seen by the Informer Media also stated that the continental football body also raised the overall prize money of the competition by 32 per cent.
The one month long tourney to be co-hosted by the three East African Nations of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will have 19 teams participating.
CAF has announced that the total prize money for this year’s edition running from February 1 to February 28, 2024 is up by Ksh 1,344,200,000.00 (USD 10.4 million).
CAF President Patrice Motsepe while commenting on the financial adjustments for the eighth edition of the tournament said; “We are excited about the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) 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%. We have also increased the total Prize Money of the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 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.”
Already 17 nations have qualified for the showpiece that will be played for the first time in three countries with Senegal being the defending Champions. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Sudan, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar make up the list of those qualified.
Two additional countries will also participate in the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 after qualifying from the remaining matches. With improved revenue from sponsors and television money, CAF is pouring a lot more into the game to develop the game in Africa.
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winners now take home a cool Ksh 903 million (USD 7 million); a record amount in recent times. CAF Champions League winners collect a cool Ksh 516 million (USD 4 million) and CAF Women’s Champions league winners taking home Ksh 77.4 million (USD 600,000).