AFC Women’s Asian Cup: hefty US$4.8m cash prize for Chinese women’s football team after a record ninth Asian Cup success
- Steel Roses receive US$4.8 million in cash after beating South Korea 3-2 in Sunday’s thrilling final
- For the first time, the Asian Football Confederation handed out a purse of US$1 million to coach Shui’s side
A cash reward of US$4.8 million has been given to the Chinese women’s football team after they claimed a record ninth AFC Asian Cup title in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
The “Steel Roses” completed a dramatic comeback to beat South Korea 3-2 in the final, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the first half before scoring the winning goal in stoppage time for the prestigious trophy they last won in 2006.
While cheered by millions of the country’s football fans, who watched their men’s side limp out of the Fifa 2022 World Cup qualifiers on Lunar New Year’s Day, head coach Shui Qingxia’s side earned big incentives for the honour.
As the newly crowned continental champions, the Chinese team walked away with a purse of US$1 million offered by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
It is the first time the regional governing body has put up prize money for the women’s tournament. But more prize money will come from the country as Chinese fans have been longing for success in football.
Jack Ma and his Alibaba Group, who in 2019 announced US$145 million (1 billion yuan) to support women’s football for the next 10 years, said they would allocate an additional US$1.5 million in prize money to the players for their success, with another $473,000 for coach Shui and her back room staff.