135,000 euros per month: here is the highest-paid coach in Africa (and it's not Walid Regragui)
Money doesn’t necessarily make results. The ranking of the highest-paid coaches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations reveals a huge disparity: the Algerian coach, Vladimir Petkovic, receives a salary almost twice as high as that of Walid Regragui, who was nevertheless a semi-finalist in the last World Cup.
According to data revealed by the specialized website Sportune, the Algerian Football Federation has gone all out to secure the services of Vladimir Petkovic. With an estimated salary of 135,000 euros per month, the Swiss technician dominates the salary rankings of this 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations. The former Bordeaux coach is far ahead of his immediate pursuers, the Belgian Hugo Broos (South Africa) and the Ivorian Émerse Faé, the reigning African champion, who both earn 75,000 euros per month.
The surprise comes from the fourth position occupied by Walid Regragui. Despite his status as a national hero and his historic run in Qatar in 2022, the coach of the Atlas Lions earns an estimated salary of 70,000 euros per month. A comfortable amount, but still well below what the Algerian neighbor pays its coach. This gap of almost double is striking, especially since Morocco is hosting the competition and is among the big favorites for the final title.
The rest of the ranking shows the financial inequalities of African football. While technicians like Sébastien Desabre (DRC, 42,000 €) or Hossam Hassan (Egypt, 30,000 €) are doing well, others have to make do with much more modest means. This is the case of Brama Traoré, the coach of Burkina Faso, who brings up the rear with a salary of 10,000 euros per month, or thirteen times less than the best-paid coach of the tournament.
