As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco on Sunday, fans are gearing up for the continent’s biggest football festival. Before the action begins, here’s a look at the prize money on offer and some of the most shocking results in previous editions.
Prize Money
- $500,000: 4th in groups
- $700,000: 3rd in groups, do not qualify for knockout phase
- $800,000: Round of 16 losers
- $1.3 million: Quarter-finals losers
- $2.5 million: Semi-finals losers
- $4 million: Runners-up
- $7 million: Champions
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Shocking AFCON Moments
- Ivory Coast 0–4 Equatorial Guinea (2024)
Equatorial Guinea stunned the hosts with three late goals to win 4-0 in the first round. Despite the shock, Ivory Coast progressed as the fourth-best third-placed team and went on to defeat Nigeria in the final, while Equatorial Guinea exited in the last 16. - Comoros 3–2 Ghana (2022)
Four-time champions Ghana were humiliated in the first round after Ahmed Mogni scored an 85th-minute winner. Ghana’s hopes were further hampered when veteran captain Andre Ayew was sent off. - Benin 1–1 Morocco (2019)
Morocco, favorites for the 2019 title, drew with Benin in the first round before losing 4-1 on penalties in the Round of 16. The team was coached by two-time AFCON winner Hervé Renard. - Zambia 0–0 Ivory Coast (2012)
In the 2012 final, Zambia held a star-studded Ivory Coast side featuring Didier Drogba and the Toure brothers to a 0-0 draw. Drogba missed a penalty in the shootout, with Zambia’s Stophira Sunzu scoring the decisive spot-kick. - Tunisia 0–2 Mali (1994)
During the opening match of the 1994 AFCON, Mali shocked hosts Tunisia 2-0. Then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was reportedly so displeased with Tunisia’s first-half performance that he walked out at halftime.
These moments remind fans that in AFCON, no result is guaranteed, and surprises are always just a goal away.
