The winners of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament will get a higher cash reward than the previous winners, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced.
CAF said in a statement on Thursday that the would-be champions will get a cash reward of $7 million, an increase of 40% when compared to the 2021 AFCON winners.
Senegal, who are the defending champions after beating Egypt 4-2 in post-match penalties following a goalless draw in the final played in Cameroon on February 6, 2022, received $5 million as cash prize.
The first runner-up in the 2023 AFCON will get a cash reward of $4 million, while the two semi-finalists will walk home with $2.5 million each.
'Developing football'
The four quarterfinalists, on the other hand, will receive $1.3 million each, CAF said.
In 2021, the first runner-up got $2.75 million, the semi-finalists ($2.2 million each) and the quarter-finalists ($1.8 million each).
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said on Thursday: "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."
The 2023 AFCON will be played in Côte d'Ivoire between January 13 and February 11.
Delayed tournament
The 34th edition of the tournament was to be held between June 23 and July 23, 2023, but the CAF postponed it over weather concerns. Between June and July, it is usually a rainy season in Côte d'Ivoire.
The 2024 games will be played in Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo and Yamoussoukro.
Below is the complete 2023 AFCON draw:
GROUP A
Côte d'Ivoire
Guinea-Bissau
Equatorial Guinea
Nigeria
GROUP B
Mozambique
Cape Verde
Ghana
Egypt
GROUP C
Gambia
Guinea
Cameroon
Senegal
GROUP D
Angola
Mauritania
Burkina Faso
Algeria
GROUP E
Namibia
South Africa
Mali
Tunisia
GROUP F
Tanzania
Zambia
Democratic Republic of Congo
Morocco
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