WAFCON prize hits 9bn/-
MOROCCO: THE 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals officially kick off today in Morocco with a thrilling curtain raiser between the host nation and Zambia.
In a landmark move just hours before the finals began, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) announced a 100 per cent increase in prize money for the eventual champions of the competition.
The winning team of this year’s tournament will now receive USD 1,000,000—double the USD 600,000 awarded to South Africa in the last edition.
The winning team of this year’s tournament will now receive USD 1,000,000 (approximately 2.6bn/-)—double the USD 600,000 (approximately 1.56bn/-) awarded to South Africa in the last edition.
The runners-up will take home USD 500,000 (approximately 1.3bn/-), a boost from the previous USD 400,000 (approximately 1.04bn/-), while the third-placed side retains its USD 350,000 (approximately 910m/-) reward. Overall, the total prize money for the tournament has surged by 45 per cent, reaching a record USD 3,475,000 (approximately 9.035bn/-).
CAF President Patrice Motsepe reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to advancing women’s football on the continent.
“CAF is continuing with its commitment to the development and growth of Women’s Football in Africa,” he said.
Motsepe added: “The 100 per cent increase in the prize money of the winner of the CAF WAFCON Morocco 2024 and the 45 per cent total increase in the prize money of this competition should contribute to the increase of the salaries of Women Football players, coaches and employees.”
As part of the pre-tournament celebrations, CAF unveiled a new trophy for WAFCON. The captains of all 12 participating nations gathered in Casablanca for a special moment with the new silverware, posing for souvenir.
This year’s tournament continues with the expanded format introduced in 2022. The twelve qualified teams have been drawn into three groups of four, with the top two teams in each group and the two best third-placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
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From there, winners will progress to the semi-finals and secure direct qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Quarter-final losers will enter the intercontinental play-off stage— known as the Repechage—alongside Asian confederation counterparts, to vie for the last two World Cup spots.
The tournament will culminate on 26 July. For Tanzania, the journey begins on Monday when they face Mali in what is expected to be a competitive Group C opener.
