CAF has doubled the prize money for the winner of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations from $1 million to $2 million, further strengthening its financial commitment to the growth of women’s football.
The announcement was made by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe during the confederation’s global press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The latest increase continues a steady rise in the tournament’s prize fund under Motsepe’s leadership.
The winners received $200,000 before he assumed office, with the amount later raised to $1 million for the 2024 edition before now being doubled again.
Motsepe said the decision reflects CAF’s determination to support women’s football through meaningful financial investment rather than empty promises.
“We’ve increased the prize money of the WAFCON. It’s unbelievable. And that’s why I say to you, you can make all sorts of promises and say all of these nice things, but if you don’t back them up with quantifiable, visible and tangible things that people can feel and touch. When I became president, the winner of the women’s competition got $200,000. And then we got it to $1 million. Now they get $2 million.”
The announcement came as CAF faced questions over the scheduling of its women’s competitions, particularly after the postponement of the last two WAFCON tournaments.
The 2026 edition was shifted from March to July, prompting concerns about the organisation of the event.
While admitting there was room for improvement, Motsepe defended CAF’s decision to retain Morocco as hosts despite the scheduling challenges.
“I think part of how you do better, or how you move in the right direction of success, is to recognise the weaknesses and things you can deal with differently and better,” he said.
According to Motsepe, several countries expressed interest in staging the tournament after Morocco was unable to host it in March.
However, CAF believed it was only right to honour its commitment to the North African nation.
“We have to behave in a manner that is ethical, that is principled. It would have been incorrect to take it away from Morocco,” he said.
“Could we have done better? Absolutely. But we did the right thing by not having it.”
Motsepe also noted that the revised schedule created an opportunity for CAF to secure a significant increase in prize money while giving the tournament greater visibility.
“Besides, if we had it in February, we wouldn’t have been able to significantly increase the prize money as we have now and get lots of focus,” Motsepe said.
“Women’s football is crucial. We shouldn’t pay lip service to women’s football. We should do more than pay lip service.”
The 2026 WAFCON will be the first edition to feature 16 teams following the expansion from 12 nations.
Morocco will stage the competition from July 26 to August 16, with the tournament also serving as Africa’s qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The top four teams will secure automatic qualification.
