Africa: How the CAF African Schools Football Championship Builds Infrastructure Across Africa

The CAF African Schools Football Championship is delivering a lasting legacy beyond the pitch, investing prize money into educational and sporting facilities across the continent.

The upcoming COSAFA Qualifiers, scheduled for December 4‑6 in Saldanha Bay, South Africa, will provide another chance to channel prize funds into the sport’s development.

After the girls of Edendale Technical High School in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, won the inaugural 2022 CAF African Schools Football Championship COSAFA qualifier, they have now seen the rewards of that victory.

Their achievement secured USD 100,000 in prize money, earmarked for improvements at the school.

Four years later, the investment has delivered lasting upgrades that benefit generations of pupils, underscoring the competition’s broader purpose launched by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe in 2022.

At Edendale, the funds restored damaged classrooms, upgraded sanitation, strengthened security and created new sports facilities for roughly 1,800 students.

This tangible example shows how the CAF African Schools Football Championship uses football to support education and community development.

How the prize money works – All prize funds are ring‑fenced for development projects at beneficiary schools, ensuring that on‑field success translates into improvements in educational and sporting infrastructure.

The programme allocates USD 4 million annually, divided between boys’ and girls’ competitions at zonal and continental levels.

At the Continental Finals, winning teams receive USD 300,000, runners‑up USD 200,000 and third‑placers USD 150,000 – totalling USD 1.3 million across both categories.

This amounts to USD 1.3 million across the two competitions.

The six CAF Zonal Unions also award significant prizes: winners receive USD 100,000, runners‑up USD 75,000 and third‑place teams USD 50,000 in both boys’ and girls’ events, adding another USD 2.7 million in zonal prize money.

A further USD 2.7 million is therefore allocated across the zonal competitions.

The funding model is supported by an initial USD 10 million commitment from the Motsepe Foundation for prize money and overall championship development.

Edendale’s transformation – Following severe damage from a hailstorm, the prize‑money project financed the rehabilitation of five classrooms and nine toilet blocks at Edendale Technical High School.

A new electric gate was installed to enhance safety and access, while the school’s sports facilities received a major upgrade.

These upgrades included a multi‑sports court for basketball, netball and hockey, expanding activity options for pupils.

A grandstand was also built beside the football pitch, complete with drainage channels to address water overflow, providing seating for spectators.

The project additionally supplied a school bus.

The completed infrastructure improvements were officially handed over on 2 October 2026 as part of CAF’s prize‑money ceremony series across Africa.

For a school serving about 1,800 pupils, the benefits extend far beyond the small group of girls whose footballing achievement made the investment possible.

A legacy across Africa – Edendale’s story is being mirrored in various forms across the continent, with prize money helping schools meet their most urgent infrastructure and educational needs.

Projects supported by the CAF African Schools Football Championship include constructing and renovating classrooms, libraries, computer laboratories, sports facilities, boreholes and other essential amenities.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Complexe Scolaire Uwezo has benefited from five new classrooms and a five‑a‑side football pitch, while New Yundum School in The Gambia received a borehole to improve access to clean drinking water.

In Guinea, College Fo Fissa received funding for a new computer laboratory.

These initiatives illustrate how the competition’s impact endures long after the final whistle, delivering investments that support both education and opportunities for young people.

Since its launch in 2022, the CAF African Schools Football Championship has engaged more than three million boys and girls from over 82,000 schools across Africa.

The programme also integrates football competition with training and capacity‑building for young referees, coaches, journalists, medical officers and other participants.

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