Cranes instantly in billions after Afcon qualification

Continental body Caf are rarely in a rush to announce things, especially money things.
Caf Secretary General, Hicham El Amrani, had of course after the 2013 edition said they had no plans to increase the money Afcon winners of that year, Nigeria, and Zambia in 2012 had earned in prize cash.
But that revenues for the football body had increased over the years, there was hope that the purse to competing nations would grow as well in the 2015 Nations Cup.
But alas! Hicham and his boss Issa Hayatou were not about to go against their word. Winners of the 2015 Afcon edition, Ivory Coast, were also to take home $1.5m (Shs5b) of the $10m (Shs34b) jackpot, the same Nigeria and Zambia earned previously.
Will Caf keep the same amount even after signing a new main sponsor – Total -for their top 10 club and national team competitions for the next eight years, which is said to be the biggest in their history?
And how much is the new deal? Well, just like in 2009 when they signed with Orange, only the two parties know.
But whether they increase the lottery or not, one thing we can confirm is Uganda will for the first time since 1978 be part of the Afcon party, and since 2012, billions.
Let us use the previous earnings to see how much the Cranes will/could rake in once the finals are done with in Gabon.

Group stage
By just qualifying for the finals you are assured of going home with at least $400,000 (Shs1.4b). That is the money all teams that finished last in their groups earned in the previous three editions. And if you go one level better and finish third in the group, you earn Shs200m more. Should the Cranes stop in the group stages, they will still return with some good dollars and a little bit of more exposure.

Knockout stage
Should Micho’s men mark the Cranes return to the table of men by emerging from the group, they will have upped their share of the Shs34b to $600,000 (Shs2b), earnings for teams that make the last eight, with the purse increasing by Shs500m for losing semifinalists.
Final
This is where both the Holy Grail and money will be furiously fought for. Together with the trophy, winners will pocket $1.5m (Shs5b), with runners-up settling for Shs1.5b less.

Is it enough?
While this might look some really good money because of the two words ‘billion shillings’, it is hardly so with the current footballing standards, and also when you consider the supposed huge revenues Caf are raking in.
Euros champions, for example, can earn as high as €27 (102b) depending on group positions, matches drawn and won among others. It goes without saying that Uefa rake in much higher revenues than Caf but it is also justified in the manner European teams share their loot.
Far in the Americas, Conmebol paid $7m (23.6b) to 2011 Copa America champions Uruguay while the Asian Football Confederation released $10m (Shs34b) to the top three teams this year.

Brand and exposure
While the prize money at Afcon might not look as alluring as the other continents, qualifying alone will have the Cranes in high stead as their brand will likely attract more corporate partnerships and sponsors. Apart from players using the platform to market themselves to better leagues, they could also earn themselves private sponsorships.