The first-ever season of the African Football League is scheduled to kick off in October 2023. CAF, Africa’s football governing body, announced the new club competition on August 22, although it was called the African Super League at the time. CAF also announced a prize breakdown for the League, including a $4 million prize for the winning team. Here is a breakdown of what League winners can expect.
Prize Breakdown
The AFL conducted its first draw on September 2. The League, which will run from October 20 to November 11, will include eight teams from across Africa. The AFL’s organizing committee met with all eight recently to discuss the schedule and other key details, including the prize pool.
Per the AFL, the winning team will walk away with a whopping $ 4 million. The prize pool amounts to $10 million, and the rest will be divided up as follows: The runner-up will receive $2.8 million, the semi-finalist $1.7 million, and the quarter-finalist $900,000.
The Best of Africa
The prize pool is pretty significant, especially considering it is the first-ever season of the League. But it makes sense, given the teams chosen to participate. The large winner’s prize should also make things more exciting for fans using the bwin promotional code to wager on the competition for the first time.
The AFL will highlight what the CAF is calling “the best of African club football.” The governing body has expressed the wish to showcase the best of the game on the continent to “football fans in Africa and around the World.” The AFL is modeled against other major leagues like the EPL.
Participating Teams
It is expected that participation will grow as the League grows. But for the first year, only eight teams will be playing in the AFL – Al-Ahly from Egypt, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Esperance Sportive of Tunisia, Simba Sports Club of Tanzania, T.P Mazembe of DRC, Enyimba of Nigeria, and Petro de Luanda of Angola.
Al-Ahly is the most accomplished team on the roster, with 11 CAF Champions League trophies, 8 CAF Super Cups, 4 African Cup Winners Cups, and 1 Confederations Cup win. Wydad Casablanca have won the CAF Champions League three times and the Super Cup once, making them a formidable opponent.
But perhaps the biggest competition for Al-Ahly will come from Esperance Sportive. The Tunisian team has won 4 CAF Champions League titles, 1 Africa Winners’ Cup, 1 CAF Cup, and their local League 32 times. Simba Sports will represent East Africa.
Wrapping Up
October 2023 will see the first matches of the inaugural AFL season. The newly-formed League will bring together some of the best teams on the African continent in what is expected to be Africa’s biggest football competition. And with a winner’s prize of $4 million, all eyes will be glued to AFL.
