Senegal is celebrating on two fronts. The Senegal national soccer team was on Sunday 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.
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 shared $32 million.
