The bookmaker 1xBet talks about the new African Football League club tournament, where eight of the continent’s best teams compete for substantial prize money and a bright future for African football.
The event’s initiator was the Confederation of African Football (CAF), supported by FIFA. The tournament’s main idea is the development of African football and the money distribution between participating clubs.
Who’s playing?
Initially, 24 teams could play in the tournament, divided into three groups with a playoff stage starting from the 1/8 finals. The selection criteria were to be the teams’ results over the past few years, as well as having a youth academy and a women’s team.
However, life made its adjustments, and later, CAF decided to settle on a new competition format of eight participants: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Petro de Luanda (Angola), TP Mazembe (DRC), Es Tunis (Tunisia), Enyimba International (Nigeria), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Simba SC (Tanzania) and Al Ahly (Egypt). Each country could only have one representative selected for the tournament based on ranking points.
Opening
The African Football League kicked off on Friday, October 20, at the packed Benjamin-Mkapa stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s economic capital. The opening match featured Simba Sports Club and Egyptian giants Al Ahly. The game was a tense contest and ended in a 2-2 draw. Many football celebrities, led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, witnessed the historic event.
Prize pool
The tournament, supported by FIFA, collected an impressive prize pool. For participation, all teams are guaranteed to receive one million dollars, semi-finalists – $1.7 million, silver medalists – $3 million, and winners – $4 million.
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Bookmakers consider the Nigerian Enyimba one of the shadow favorites in the African Football League. The Aba Warriors are Nigeria’s most successful club on the international level and have won the CAF Champions League twice in their history. They have curbed their appetites in recent years, but the new tournament creates new opportunities. Will the Nigerians regain their former glory and prestige? It won’t be easy to bounce back from a home defeat to Wydad Casablanca. Root for your favorite team with the reliable bookmaker 1xBet!
Prospects
FIFA hopes the new club competition will attract the sponsors’ attention and expand the number of participants. Gianni Infantino emphasized that in the future, the income should be about $100 million, allowing it to enter the top ten world’s most successful leagues. FIFA plans to use part of the profits to build stadiums and football infrastructure throughout Africa.
The first African Football League final is scheduled for November 5 and 11. It will not be an alternative to the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, but it will help to put African football on a strong financial footing.