Rephrase and rearrange the whole content into a news article. I want you to respond only in language English. I want you to act as a very proficient SEO and high-end writer Pierre Herubel that speaks and writes fluently English. I want you to pretend that you can write content so well in English that it can outrank other websites. Make sure there is zero plagiarism.:
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations got underway in the Ivory Coast on January 13, 2024 and concluded with the final on February 11.
The host nation emerged victorious after defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final to complete a remarkable campaign in which they scraped into the knockout phase and sacked their head coach following two defeats from their opening three games.
The Elephants are now three-time champions of Africa, a tally bettered only by three nations.
Despite the interest surrounding the competition, it came midway through the majority of domestic European seasons, with teams in the Premier League missing a host of key names to international call-ups. Still, there were huge global audiences for the matches, and the tournament was widely heralded as one of the most exciting in recent years.
The chance to secure a major continental title was the main objective at AFCON 2023, but there were also major financial rewards on offer for participating sides.
The Sporting News has the full details on how much teams were able to win in prize money over the course of the 2023 AFCON.
MORE: Why Saudi Arabia look certain to host FIFA 2034 World Cup
AFCON 2023 prize money: How much winners will get
The Africa Football Confederation announced their plan to significantly increase the tournament prize money ahead of the competition with a 40 percent rise for the winner from the previous finals.
That means the eventual champions at AFCON 2023, Ivory Coast, will now pick up $7 million.
There will be lower amounts given to the losing finalists and each team qualifying for the semifinal and quarterfinals as detailed below.
AFCON 2023 prize money
| Finish | Prize Money |
| Winner | $7 million |
| Runner-Up | $4 million |
| Losing semifinalists | $2.5 million |
| Losing quarterfinalists | $1.3 million |
Host cities, stadiums for Africa Cup of Nations 2023
The tournament included six stadiums spread across the Ivory Coast, with two based in the economic capital of Abidjan.
| Stadium | Location | Capacity |
| Alassane Ouattara Stadium | Abidjan | 60,000 |
| Stade de la Paix | Bouake | 40,000 |
| Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium | Abidjan | 33,000 |
| Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium | Korhogo | 20,000 |
| Laurent Pokou Stadium | San-Pedro | 20,000 |
| Charles Konan Banny Stadium | Yamoussoukro | 20,000 |
I have over 10 years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry and I have been on the list of the top authors on LinkedIn for the past 5 years. I have a wealth of knowledge to share with my readers, and my goal is to help them navigate the ever-changing world of cryptocurrencies.
