Zimbabwe locks in half a million bucks just for showing up at AFCON, and CAF dropped a $32 million prize pool that rewards teams whether they flame out early or push deep into the knockout rounds. The Warriors, under captain Marvelous Nakamba, could bump that to $700k for finishing third in the group stage or hit $800k by making the round of 16, which would be historic since they never got past groups before.
Performance analyst James Makoni got called back to the technical setup after working with the squad through the qualifiers. The 27-year-old has ties to MK Dons youth academy and Gulf United, and his data work apparently caught attention from bigger clubs. Zimbabwe apparently ran without a dedicated analyst until recently, but the shift toward modern methods shows the team finally embracing the nerdy side of elite prep.
Prize money scales up fast for teams that advance, with quarter-finalists banking $1.3 million and semifinalists grabbing $2.5 million each. Winners walk away with seven million while runners-up collect four.
Performance analyst James Makoni got called back to the technical setup after working with the squad through the qualifiers. The 27-year-old has ties to MK Dons youth academy and Gulf United, and his data work apparently caught attention from bigger clubs. Zimbabwe apparently ran without a dedicated analyst until recently, but the shift toward modern methods shows the team finally embracing the nerdy side of elite prep.
Prize money scales up fast for teams that advance, with quarter-finalists banking $1.3 million and semifinalists grabbing $2.5 million each. Winners walk away with seven million while runners-up collect four.
