The winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive a record prize of $50 million, FIFA announced on Wednesday, highlighting a significant increase in financial rewards for the sport’s flagship tournament.
The figure represents a rise from the $42 million awarded to champions Argentina in 2022 and the $38 million paid to France after their 2018 triumph. Despite the increase, the payout remains less than half of the prize money offered at the expanded Club World Cup held earlier this year.
FIFA said the total prize fund for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will stand at $655 million — a 50 per cent increase compared with the Qatar 2022 edition.
By contrast, the recently expanded Club World Cup, which grew from seven teams to 32 and was staged in the United States, carried a total prize fund of $1 billion. The top prize for the winning team was worth up to $125 million.The competition, won by Chelsea, faced strong opposition from players and domestic leagues due to scheduling concerns and reportedly attracted low attendances for some matches.
FIFA has defended the disparity in prize money between the two tournaments, noting that clubs bear significantly higher costs, particularly player wages, than national teams. The organisation also stressed that World Cup revenues help fund football development programmes worldwide.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino described the 2026 World Cup as “groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community.” The prize structure was approved at a meeting of FIFA’s council in Doha.
Under the distribution plan, the World Cup runner-up will receive $33 million, while the third- and fourth-placed teams will earn $29 million and $27 million respectively. The lowest prize money for participating teams will be $9 million, with all 48 nations receiving an additional $1.5 million to cover preparation costs.
In total, FIFA said $727 million will be distributed to the football federations involved in the tournament. How the funds will be shared at national level remains at the discretion of each federation. At the 2022 World Cup, France’s players were reportedly set to receive bonuses of $586,000 each had they lifted the trophy, according to L’Equipe.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
