Izuchukwu Okosi
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The Confederation of African Football has announced that nearly $17 million will be shared as prize money at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will hope to win their fourth AFCON title in Cameroon with 23 other African teams for the prestigious Nations Cup and the grand prize of over 2 billion naira ($5 million).
Algeria, the winner of the last edition, received $4.5 million for their triumph in 2019.
The runners-up of Cameroon 2021 will pocket well over a billion naira ($2.75 million), while the remainder of the bounty will be shared among the best eight teams at the Afcon.
According to CAF, losers of the quarter-finals will be compensated with $1.175 million each, summing up to $4.7 million. Also, losers of the semifinals will each get $2.2 million.
When the Super Eagles last lifted the Afcon Cup in 2013, the team pocketed $1.5 million as prize money, while the runners-up Burkina Faso bagged $1 million.
Despite missing key players in Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis and Genk’s Paul Onuachu, the Super Eagles remain hopeful of going all the way and winning the tournament.
Defending champions Algeria, seven-time winners Egypt, hosts Cameroon, and West African powerhouse Senegal are, however, the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy come February 6.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
