CAF has announced a dramatic increase in prize money for the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), with the winners now set to receive USD 2 million as the continent’s flagship women’s tournament kicks off on Sunday.
In his announcement, CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe framed the decision as part of a deliberate strategy to make African women’s football “globally competitive and amongst the best in the world”, while directly improving conditions for players, coaches and technical staff. “CAF is making enormous progress in developing and growing men’s and women’s football in Africa and making it amongst the best in the world,” he said, linking the 100% increase in the WAFCON winners’ purse to broader reforms since the current leadership took office.
The prize money for the WAFCON champions has been increased by 100% to USD 2 million, representing a doubling of the winners’ cheque compared to the previous edition. Since Motsepe’s administration assumed office, the winners’ amount has risen by 900% – from USD 200 000 to USD 2 million – signalling an unprecedented financial commitment to the women’s game.
The overall prize pool for the competition has climbed from USD 3.475 million to USD 5.8 million, a 67% increase. The runners‑up will earn USD 750 000, a 50% uplift, while the third‑placed team’s reward has been boosted by 43%. Each of the 16 participating women’s national teams will receive USD 150 000 in participation funding, up 20% from the USD 125 000 they received at the last tournament.
Motsepe emphasised that the sharp rise in prize money is intended not only to reward success but to help drive better pay and professionalisation across African women’s football. In earlier comments on WAFCON prize increases, he argued that “the increase in the prize money should contribute to the increase in the salaries of women football players, coaches and employees,” a view that underpins CAF’s latest decision.
Since the current CAF leadership took over, the number of teams at WAFCON has doubled from eight to 16, expanding opportunities for women footballers from more countries to compete at elite continental level. Motsepe has linked that expansion to CAF’s wider investment in youth structures, schools football and national team pathways for girls and women, and reiterated that women’s football is central to the organisation’s long‑term vision.
“We will continue to train and invest in our boys and girls football players, amateur football, professional Football Leagues and our National Teams in each of the 54 African countries,” Motsepe said, positioning the WAFCON prize money surge as one pillar of a continent‑wide development agenda. CAF is also increasing funding for coach training and technical capacity in all six regional zones, which is expected to benefit women’s national teams as well as men’s.
The announcement comes as preparations intensify for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON PAMOJA 2027, to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and as CAF opens bidding for AFCON 2028, 2032 and 2036, supported by a new commercial rights tender designed to maximise revenues and reinvest in the game. Motsepe has said governments in East Africa are committed to delivering stadiums, training facilities, accommodation, transport, safety and security, medical services, technology and broadcasting infrastructure at the requisite level for AFCON 2027.
He added that CAF is launching a Commercial Rights Invitation to Tender for AFCON 2028, 2032 and 2036 after receiving “numerous attractive approaches” from leading international marketing and commercial agencies. “The aim of the ITT is to maximise the financial returns and to enhance the overall commercial value of the AFCON Competition with the objective of contributing to the development and growth of football in each of CAF’s 54 Member Associations and of CAF’s Competitions,” Motsepe explained.
For women’s football, the doubled WAFCON jackpot is likely to become a central talking point as teams arrive for the tournament, with players and coaches now competing for continental glory under dramatically improved financial terms. Motsepe’s message is that the women’s game is no longer an afterthought in CAF’s planning but a core priority, backed by hard cash and a clear ambition to make African women’s football a global force.
