Numerous football tournaments in Africa have gained immense popularity over the past few years. This is due to the continent’s rich football history showcasing African nations’ passion and talent.
The tournaments range from the established continental games, such as the Africa Cup of Nations, to new competitions, like the African Nations Championships.
In this article, we shall list all major football tournaments in Africa. We’ll also cover how many teams participate, their previous winners, and the prize money.
1. Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
- Founded: 1957
- Most successful team/club: Egyptian National Football team
- Prize Money: $7 Million
African Cup of Nations, AFCON, is one of Africa’s most successful men’s football tournaments. It is hosted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
AFCON was established in 1975 and is held once every two years. For every AFCON tournament, there are 54 eligible teams to enter qualifications and only 24 teams in the finals.
AFCON is Africa’s biggest football tournament, with the previous champions, Senegal, having won prize money of $5 million, up from $4.5 million in 2019. In 2024, the prize money has been set at $7 million.
Some previous African Cup of Nations winners include Egypt 7 times, Cameroon 5 times, Ghana 4 times, and Nigeria 3 times.
2. The CAF Champions League
- Founded: 1964
- Most successful team/club: Al Ahly
- Prize Money: $4 Million
CAF Champions League was founded in 1964 and is held annually among the top division of African clubs. Just like AFCON, the tournament is hosted by CAF.
Winners of the CAF Champions League qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup and the CAF Super Cup. In each season, a total of 64 teams qualify to participate in 16 groups.
Al Ahly is the most successful club in the CAF Champions League, with 10 titles. Other previous winners include the current champions Wydad AC (3 times), Zamalek (5 times), TP Mazembe (5 times), and Esperance Sportive de Tunis (4 times).
Dr Patrice Motsepe, the current CAF president, confirmed the CAF Champions League prize money increase from $2.5 million to $4 million for the 2022 winners.
3. Africa Nations Championships (CHAN)
- Founded: 2009
- Most successful team/club: DRC Congo & Morocco
- Prize Money: $2 Million
Next is the African Nations Championship, CHAN, one of Africa’s newly established football tournaments.
CHAN is hosted biennially and was started in 2009 by the Confederation of African Football. Since then, several teams have won the tournament, including the most successful teams, Morocco and DR Congo, with two titles each.
Other teams that have won the tournament include the current champions Senegal (1 time), Tunisia (1 time), and Libya (1 time).
A total of 18 teams participate in this tournament, and players are chosen from winners of the local leagues.
4. CAF Confederation Cup
- Founded: 2004
- Most successful team/club: CS Sfaxien
- Prize Money: $2 Million
CAF Confederation Cup is an annual football tournament recently established in 2004. This tournament is a product of consolidating two major competitions, the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners’ Cup.
The Confederation Cup comprises 56 member associations, all of which are eligible to participate in the tournament.
CS Sfaxien of Tunisia is the most successful club in this tournament, with 3 titles. Other teams that have won the tournament include current champions RS Berkane (2 times) and Etoile du Sahel, TP Mazembe, and Raja Casablanca, with 2 titles each.
The current prize money for the CAF Confederation Cup is $2 million, up from the $1.25 million awarded previously.
5. CAF Super Cup
- Founded: 1993
- Most successful team/club: Al Ahly
- Prize Money: $200,000
CAF Super Cup is a tournament held between the winners of the CAF Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League once a year. This means that only two teams can participate in the tournament.
The Super Cup was established in 1993 and is sponsored by CAF. Al Ahly is CAF Super Cup’s most successful team, with 8 titles, and the current champions are Morocco’s RS Berkane.
Other clubs who have won the cup include Zamalek (4 times), TP Mazembe (3 times), Etoile Sportive du Sahel (2 times), and Enyimba (2 times).
As of 2019, the prize money for the CAF Super Cup is $200,000, with the Runners-up pocketing $150,000.
6. Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON)
- Founded: 1991
- Most successful team/club: Nigeria
- Prize Money:$500,000
Established in 1991, the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is a biennial women’s football tourney hosted by CAF. The Tournament was first played in Nigeria in 1991 as the African Women’s Championship.
It was renamed Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 1998 and made a biennial event. The tournament consists of 12 participating teams, and the tournament winners qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Nigeria Women’s national team is the most successful in this tournament, with 11 titles. Few other teams have won the cup, including current champions South Africa (1 title) and Equatorial Guinea (2 times).
The winning team pockets a whopping $500,000 as the prize money.
7. U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
- Founded: 1995
- Most successful teams/clubs: Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria
- Prize Money: Not disclosed.
U-17 Africa Cup of Nations is a biennial football tournament for youths under 17. The history of the competition dates back to 1985 when FIFA first organized a match for under-17 players.
It was not until 1995 that CAF recognized the event and called it African U-17 Championship.
The tournament comprises 12 participating teams, and the winners qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The competition has had fair distributions of wins, with 5 clubs tied as the most successful teams.
These teams include Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria, with 2 titles each. Senegal is the current champion of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
8. Africa Futsal Cup of Nations
- Founded: 1996
- Most successful team/club: Egyptian national futsal team
- Prize Money: Not disclosed
Finally, we have the Africa Futsal Cup of Nations, founded in 1996, formally called the African Futsal Championships.
The tournament is held once every four years and is hosted by CAF. Winners of the Africa Futsal Cup of Nations automatically qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
The Egyptian national team is the most successful club, winning the title 3 times, including the first tournament in 1996.
Current champions, Morocco, have won 2 titles, and Libya has 1 title.
