According to Patrice Motsepe, head of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the development of the Africa Super League will fundamentally change the game of football on the continent.
With a $100 million (£81.9 million) total prize pool and a $11.6 million winner’s share, the 24-team club tournament is expected to debut in the 2023–24 season.
“Using the Africa Super League to dramatically and fundamentally improve the level of football on the continent” is part of the larger objective, according to Motsepe.
In accordance with the format, 197 games will be played between August and May, culminating in a championship game that will be “Super Bowl-like.”
The money that the Africa Super League would bring in for clubs, member associations, and the CAF itself will be its biggest selling point, according to Motsepe, who officially unveiled it on Wednesday at the CAF general assembly in Tanzania.
The Super League fund will provide each of CAF’s 54 member associations a $1 million cash reward each year, and CAF hopes to raise $50 million in total that it may use to support youth and women’s football.
“My objective is to get money for football infrastructure, for players, club owners, stakeholders. We are talking about anything between $250m to $300m every year,” Motsepe explained.
“If you look at the numbers, we are talking about $2.5m for each of the 24 clubs to use, to help with transport and accommodation but also to buy players.”
Motsepe’s prediction that the competition will have a significant effect was shared by the head executive of Tanzanian team Simba FC.
“This is going to change the face of African football as we know it in terms of investment, exposure and marketing overall,” Barbara Gonzalez told BBC Sport Africa.
“As one of the leading football clubs in the region, we’re extremely excited about this.”
With the Super League, Africa will have three continental club competitions: the CAF Confederation Cup, the African Champions League, and the Africa Super League.
According to Motsepe, all three must coexist, with the two currently active leagues also profiting from the anticipated financial boom brought on by the Super League.
With play-offs for promotion and relegation, the Super League will feature players from 16 different nations.