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The winners of Africa’s two premier club competitions will receive significantly higher prize money from the 2025/26 season, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Monday.
The move represents another step in CAF’s effort to improve the financial sustainability of continental football for African clubs.
According to a CAF statement, the champions of the CAF Champions League will now receive six million dollars, up from four million dollars last season. The increase reflects CAF’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the prestige and financial appeal of the continent’s flagship club tournament.
The winners of the CAF Confederation Cup—Africa’s second-tier club competition and the continental equivalent of the UEFA Europa League—will also see a substantial boost in rewards. CAF confirmed that the champions will now earn $4 million, representing a 50 per cent increase from the previous prize.
However, the governing body noted that the prize money for runners-up will remain unchanged. Clubs finishing second in the Champions League will continue to receive $2 million, while beaten finalists in the Confederation Cup will take home $1 million.
The increase is likely to be welcomed by clubs across the continent. Many teams have previously argued that participation in CAF competitions can be financially burdensome, particularly due to the high cost of travel. Air transport within Africa remains expensive and often complicated, with limited direct flight connections between many countries.
As a result, clubs frequently take indirect routes to reach match venues. In some cases, teams, especially from southern Africa, travel through the Middle East or Europe to play fixtures in northern parts of the continent to reduce costs.
CAF has gradually increased prize money since South African businessman Patrice Motsepe assumed the presidency of the governing body in 2021. Motsepe is currently serving his second four-year term.
Attention now turns back to the pitch, with the quarter-final first legs in both competitions scheduled for this weekend. The action begins on Friday in Pretoria, where Mamelodi Sundowns host Stade Malien in a Champions League clash.
