The Africa Cup of Nationsis the continent’s most important international men’s association football tournament. It was first contested in 1957 under the auspices of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It has been conducted every two years since 1968, with the odd-numbered years reverting to even-numbered years in 2013.
The 2021 AFCON is being heldfor the 33rd time. Cameroon is hosting the event, which has startedon January 9 and will end onFebruary 6 , 2022. It was supposed to take place in June and July of 2021. The CAF stated in January 2020 that ithadbeen postponed to take place between 9 January and 6 February 2021 owing to unfavorable weatherconditions during that time frame.
Following the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak across the continent, the CAF shifted the tournament’s dates to January 2022 for the second time in2020, although keeping the name 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons. Reigning champions and two-time winners,Algeria will not be able to defend their title, having been eliminated in the Group Stage.
How much does the2021 AFCON champion get?
The new reward pool for the competition’s ultimate victors has risen up to $5 million, $500,000 more thanthe previous prize pool in the 2019 edition. Furthermore, the further a country advances in the tournament, the more money it will automatically earn.
This follows the decision by the Confederation of African Football to enhance it from $4.5 million,authorizinga rise of 11%. The runners-up prize will now be $2.75 million,which is $150,000 more than the previous one of$2.5 million.
In addition to the Semi-Finalists, who will now earn $2.2 million, theprize money for theQuarter-Finalists was also increased, totaling $1.85 million. Each of the 24 countries that qualified for the tournament will receive at least $534,000 in prize money as a result of their participation.
| Round | Prize money |
| Quarter-Finalists | $1.85 million |
| Semi-Finalists | $2.2 million |
| Runners-up | $2.75 million |
| Winner | $5 million |