Senegal is celebrating on two fronts. The Senegal national soccer team has been crowned Africa Cup of Nations champions for the second time in its history after defeating Morocco in the final.
Beyond the title, Senegal also secured a $7 million payout as champions, an amount that rises to $11.6 million when factoring in victories in the group stage and knockout rounds, making it the highest total prize money ever awarded in the tournament.
Senegalese players raise the trophy after winning the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Never before has the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) distributed so much money among its participants.
Teams eliminated in the group stage received $500,000, while the best third-place finishers earned $700,000.
In the knockout rounds, teams knocked out in the round of 16 collected $800,000; quarterfinalists $1.3 million; semifinalists $2.5 million; and the runner-up, Morocco, $4 million.
With this record prize pool, the Africa Cup of Nations surpasses other continental national-team tournaments such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the AFC Asian Cup, and the OFC Nations Cup.
It still trails the two most prestigious continental competitions, however: the Copa América, where the champion took home $16 million, and the most recent UEFA European Championship, won by Spain, which distributed $32 million.
On the broadcast side, AFCON reached an agreement with the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 to air all 52 matches free-to-air.
The tournament was available across Channel 4, E4, 4Seven, Channel 4’s streaming platforms, and its sports-focused YouTube channel.
Channel 4’s coverage of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations was produced by IMG. The rights agreement itself was facilitated in collaboration with IMG, which holds CAF’s media and sponsorship rights.
The next Africa Cup of Nations will take place in late 2027 and, for the first time in the tournament’s history, will be co-hosted by three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
It will also mark the final time the competition is held on a biennial basis.
From then on, the tournament will move to a four-year cycle, following the model of the Copa América and the European Championship.