The African Football League kicks off today. What is this tournament and who is participating?

Today marks the commencement of the African Football League, a groundbreaking football competition in the African continent. The AFL, which stands for the African Football League, is set to become an annual tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Initially intended as the African Super League with 24 clubs employing a promotion and relegation system, the inaugural season will feature only 8 clubs. The AFL will run concurrently with another prominent African club tournament, the CAF Champions League. The expansion to the originally planned 24-team format is scheduled for the following year.

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The total prize pool for the tournament amounts to $14.4 million.

African Football League 2023 prize money

• $4 million for the winner
• $3 million for the runner-up
• $1.7 million for each semifinalist
• $1 million for each quarterfinalist

In the inaugural edition of the tournament, clubs from eight different African countries across various regions will participate.

Participants in the African Football League 2023

• Simba (Tanzania)
• Al-Ahly (Egypt)
• Petro Atletico (Angola)
• Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
• TP Mazembe (Congo)
• Esperance (Tunisia)
• Enyimba (Nigeria)
• Wydad (Morocco)

The first season of the competition will follow an Olympic-style format, with quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final consisting of home and away matches. The pilot edition will take place from October 20th to November 11th, 2023.

African Football League Quarterfinals schedule

1. Simba vs. Al-Ahly (October 20th and 24th)
2. Petro Atletico vs. Mamelodi Sundowns (October 21st and 24th)
3. TP Mazembe vs. Esperance (October 22nd and 25th)
4. Enyimba vs. Wydad (October 22nd and 25th)

African Football League Semifinals

1. Winner of Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 4 (October 29th and November 1st)
2. Winner of Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 3 (October 29th and November 1st)

African Football League Final

• Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 (November 5th and 11th)

The teams listed first in the pairings will host the initial games, and the dates of the matches are provided in parentheses.