Ghana To Receive $700,000 Consolation Prize For AFCON Performance

Ghana's Black Stars will receive a $700,000 consolation prize for their third-place finish in Group B of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Although they did not advance to the knockout stages, their performance still earned them a portion of the tournament's $34.6 million prize money.

The Black Stars started their campaign with a 2-1 loss to Cape Verde, followed by two 2-2 draws against Egypt and Mozambique. This put them third in the group, behind Cape Verde and Egypt, but ahead of Mozambique. However, they failed to qualify for the next stage, as only four of the third-best-placed teams could progress in the competition.

According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the $34.6 million prize money will be divided among the 24 participating teams as follows:

-Six teams finishing fourth in their respective groups will receive $500,000 each.
-Eight teams exiting at the round of 16 will be awarded $800,000 each.
-Four losing quarterfinalists will each receive $1,300,000.
-Two losing semi-finalists will be granted $2.5 million.
-The losing finalist will receive $4 million.
-The winner of the competition will claim $7 million.

The Black Stars' early exit from the tournament has sparked criticism and led to the dismissal of coach Chris Hughton. The country had budgeted $8.5 million for the tournament, and there is currently a search underway for a new coach.