The African Football League kicked off in October 2023, a year after CAF formally announced it. The competition featured eight teams, with the first match kicking off in Tanzania.
The eight teams selected to participate in the event were Egyptian giants Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Esperance, TP Mazembe, Nigeria’s Enyimba FC, Simba SC, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Petro Atletico.
Each team was guaranteed prize money for its participation. But what is the African Super League prize money, and how much did each team earn?
What is the qualification procedure?
For the inaugural competition, CAF picked one team from each of the top-ranked leagues in Africa.
The teams include those that have won the trophies the most in their respective leagues or were the immediate champions in their local leagues.
However, in the future, the competition will have 24 teams divided into three groups from North, Central/West, and South/East Africa.
Each group will have eight teams and up to three teams per country. CAF will implement the format starting from the 2024-25 campaign.
How much do winners get in the African Super League?
CAF distributes the African Super League prize money to all participating teams. During the inaugural competition, each team that participated received $1 million.
Since there were only eight teams, the $1 million received was for quarter-finalists. The semi-finalists received $1.7 million. The runner-up received $3 million, and the winner received $4 million.
However, the African Super League prize money will likely increase as the league aims to generate over $100 million in revenues.
In the future, each of the 24 participating clubs will receive $2.5 million, with the winner receiving $11 million.
How does the amount compare to other competitions in Africa?
The African Super League club earnings are significant compared to other African competitions.
For example, the prize money for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions was $5 million, while the runners-up received $2.75 million.
However, the African Football Super League prize money is higher than the CHAN (African Nations Championship) prize money.
CHAN winners receive $2 million, the runners-up $800,000, and the third and fourth-placed teams receive $500,000 each.
Also, the four sides that fail to progress beyond the quarter-finals receive $400,000 each.
The two countries that finish second in the groups of three teams receive $300,000 each, and the bottom-placed teams in all the groups receive $200,000 each.
