African Hero’s P4 million sponsorship restores Botswana’s elite knockout competition after six seasons, with champions set to earn more than the country’s league and FA Cup winners.
BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana’s Top 8 is returning after a six-season absence with its biggest winners’ cheque yet, as African Hero injects P4 million into a competition that will reward the champions with P1.5 million after a three-month knockout campaign.
The top-eight format, last staged under previous sponsor Mascom in the 2019/20 season, will kick off in October and conclude on December 12, restoring a competition that was once one of domestic football’s biggest commercial properties.
Financially, the comeback represents a modest increase on where the tournament left off. The 2019/20 Mascom Top 8 paid P1.4 million to the champions, meaning African Hero has raised the headline prize by P100 000.
Its significance becomes clearer against Botswana’s current football economy. Gaborone United collected P1.4 million for winning the 2025/26 FNB Premiership, while Jwaneng Galaxy received P800 000 for lifting this year’s Orange FA Cup. The Top 8 therefore offers P100 000 more than the reward for winning a 30-match league campaign and P700 000 more than Botswana’s main FA Cup.
REGIONAL STAKES
The regional comparison is even sharper. South Africa remains in a different financial league, with the 2026 MTN8 champions set to bank R10 million, equivalent to approximately P8.39 million at September 27 exchange rates, more than five times Botswana’s Top 8 winners’ purse.
Botswana nevertheless compares strongly with several other Southern African knockout tournaments. Eswatini’s 2026 Ingwenyama Cup champions received E1.45 million, worth roughly P1.21 million, while Zimbabwe’s 2026 Chibuku Super Cup offers US$75 000, presently around P1.02 million, to its winner.
In Zambia, the 2026 ABSA Cup champions receive K1.1 million, approximately P769 000, while Malawi’s directly comparable Airtel Top 8 offered its 2026 champions K40 million, equivalent to about P314 000 at current exchange rates.
The figures place Botswana’s revived tournament well short of South Africa’s commercial scale, but above several established knockout cups in the region.
BEYOND CHAMPIONS
African Hero has also built a substantial individual awards structure into the tournament. The Player of the Tournament will pocket P50 000 and the Coach of the Tournament P30 000, while the best goalkeeper and leading scorer will each receive P25 000.
The Young Player and Referee of the Tournament will each earn P20 000. The assistant referee and supporters’ player will each receive P15 000, while the Fan of the Tournament gets P10 000.
Those end-of-tournament awards total P210 000, meaning at least P1.71 million of the sponsorship can already be identified between the champions and listed individual awards, before Man of the Match payments and any additional team rewards.
The African Hero Top 8 will also restore the previous Mascom Top 8 benchmark of P5 000 for the Man of the Match award, the joint-highest prize for the accolade in the history of local football.
The battle begins from October 23 to 25 when Gaborone United face Nico United, Jwaneng Galaxy meet Township Rollers, Sua Flamingoes tackle Orapa United and Mochudi Centre Chiefs take on Morupule Wanderers.
COMMERCIAL RETURN
Speaking at the launch of the competition last Friday, BFL Board Chairman Sipho Showa said the tournament represents an important opportunity to strengthen the commercial offering of Botswana football.
“The Top 8 has a special place in our football landscape. It has a history, it has a following and it has significant commercial potential. Our responsibility as the BFL is to continue developing football properties that benefit our clubs, players, supporters and partners. This partnership with African Hero gives us an opportunity to do exactly that,” Showa stated.