Online Reporter
THERE will be more than continental glory at stake for the winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup with the finalists vying for a record first prize in the 2025/26 season.
South African football side Mamelodi Sundowns face Moroccans AS FAR in the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, while Algeria’s USM Alger take on Zamalek of Egypt in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup decider.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe confirmed last month that the winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League will receive US$6 million, while the winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup take home US$4 million.
It means the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League winners’ reward has increased by US$2 million, from US$4 million to US$6 million, a 50 percent increase.
Sundowns are hoping to lift the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for the second time in their history following their previous success in 2016, while AS FAR must go even further back for their only triumph in the continent’s elite competition, which came in 1985.
There has been an even bigger rise in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, where the winners’ prize money has doubled from US$2 million to US$ 4million, a 100 percent increase.
Both USM and Zamalek have been recent champions in this competition.
The Algerians triumphed in 2023, while Zamalek were winners the following season.
One of them will be crowned champions again.
The latest prize money increases continue at period of unprecedented financial growth for CAF’s interclub competitions since Motsepe was elected CAF President.
In 2021, the winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League received US$2.5 million.
We have therefore seen a 140 percent increase in five years.
The growth in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup has been even more dramatic.
In 2021, the winners received US$1.25 million, meaning a 220 percent increase from that in the 2025/26 season.
The increases underline CAF’s commitment to strengthening African club football and ensuring that clubs are better rewarded for their performances on the continental stage.
But CAF’s increased investment has not only focused on the clubs that reach the latter stages of its competitions.
In 2024, Motsepe announced that clubs eliminated in the preliminary stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup would receive US$50 000 each.
That support has now been increased to US$100 000 per club for the 2025/26 season.
The move is designed to assist clubs with travel, logistics and preparation costs, particularly those from leagues where resources are limited. It also reflects CAF’s commitment to making participation in continental football more accessible and financially viable. — cafonline.com
