CAF: Annual support paid to each of the 54 African federations increases from $200,000 to $700,000

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is now paying $700,000 per year to each of its 54 member associations, up from $200,000 in 2021. Its president, South African Patrice Motsepe, announced this during the CAF Strategic Conference, held from October 7 to 9, 2026, in Santa Maria, on the island of Sal, Cape Verde, in the presence of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, report Hespress and Wiwsport.

$500,000 more per federation

The increase is $500,000 per association. When applied to the 54 members of the confederation, it represents approximately $27 million in additional funding each year for football on the continent. The stated goal is to bring this support to one million dollars per federation, thanks to commercial partnerships and new sponsors: offers from pre-selected companies were to be examined by the CAF Executive Committee on October 9, 2026, according to Wiwsport.

"Investing in our youth"

Before a panel dedicated to transforming member associations into autonomous structures, Patrice Motsepe acknowledged the gap between intentions and reality: "There is a significant gap between good projects and good intentions," he stated, as quoted by Wiwsport. He set the priority: "We must invest in our youth, in our academies, in school football." The CAF president also reminded the audience who the organization answers to, mentioning "1.6 billion people in Africa and the diaspora."

The argument of results

The South African leader links these investments to the recent performances of the continent's national teams, recalling that ten African teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup, a record, highlights Wiwsport. The horizon set by the CAF is the financial autonomy of its 54 members, supported by strengthened cooperation with FIFA, governments, and the private sector, specifies Hespress.

The question of usage remains

Multiplying a federation's annual grant by three and a half changes the scale of what it can fund: coach training, youth championships, women's competitions, and refereeing. But a budget is only as good as what it produces, and it is up to the African federations to account to their own publics for the use of these amounts. The academies and school football mentioned by Mr. Motsepe will provide, in the coming seasons, the only measure that counts: players trained on the continent.