The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has doubled the winners’ prize money for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON from $1 million to $2 million ahead of the 2026 edition in Morocco.
The latest increase comes days before the tournament, which will feature 16 teams for the first time in the history of the competition.
Morocco will host the expanded tournament from 25 July to 16 August 2026, with matches scheduled to take place in Rabat and Casablanca.
CAF had increased the winners’ prize money from $500,000 to $1 million last year, while the overall prize pool rose by 45 per cent to $3.475 million.
The total prize fund has now increased by another 67 per cent, rising from $3.475 million to $5.8 million.
The runners-up will receive $750,000, representing a 50 per cent increase, while the prize money for the third-placed team has been raised by 43 per cent.
Each of the 16 participating teams will also receive $150,000 in participation funding, an increase of $25,000 from the $125,000 allocated at the previous edition.
In a statement published on its website on Wednesday, CAF said the winner’s prize money had increased by 900 per cent since the current leadership assumed office, rising from $200,000 to $2 million.
The football governing body also said the total prize money had increased by 495 per cent, from $975,000 to $5.8 million.
Hosts Morocco will headline Group A, alongside Algeria, Senegal and Kenya, with their matches to be played in Rabat.
Former champions South Africa are in Group B in Casablanca, where they will face Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Tanzania.
Record 10-time champions Nigeria’s Super Falcons have been drawn in Group C, alongside Zambia, Egypt and Malawi, with their fixtures also scheduled for Rabat.
Group D, which will be played in Casablanca, features Ghana, Cameroon, Mali and Cape Verde.
The four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, while the four teams eliminated in the quarter-finals will have another opportunity to secure World Cup qualification through the intercontinental play-offs.
