The 2026 FIFA World Cup will award the champion a staggering $50 million, a figure that eclipses the $42 million earned by Argentina in 2022 and the $38 million that France collected in 2018.
The total prize pool for the tournament, staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, rises to $655 million, an increase of 48.9% from the $440 million allocated for the 2022 event in Qatar.
Compared with the $110 million purse for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the 2026 total is nearly six times larger.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino set a target of equal prize money for men and women at their next World Cups, with the next women’s tournament scheduled for 2027 in Brazil.
The 2026 champion’s $50 million is still less than half of the $125 million that Chelsea earned for winning the much less-hyped Club World Cup this year.
The Club World Cup was controversially expanded from seven teams to 32 and shoehorned into the soccer calendar last summer, with a total prize fund of $1 billion.
FIFA uses a different distribution model for national team and club tournaments, a disparity that reflects factors such as clubs’ higher wage costs compared with national teams.
Beyond prize money, FIFA will allocate additional funds toward the development of soccer worldwide.
Infantino said the World Cup will be “groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community.”
In Europe, the Champions League also has a much bigger top prize than the European Championship for national teams; Real Madrid earned around $154 million for winning the Champions League last year, while the maximum winnings for the Euros were 28.5 million euros ($33.5 million).
Both competitions are run by European soccer’s governing body UEFA.
FIFA approved the prize money for the World Cup at a meeting of its council in Doha.
In March, FIFA projected revenue for its current four-year cycle through 2026 at $13 billion, up from $7.5 billion for 2019-22.
Each of the 48 national federations at the expanded 2026 World Cup will receive $1.5 million for preparation costs and $9 million for participating in the group stage, the same as for the 2022 tournament.
Teams advancing to the new round of 32 get $11 million, and those reaching the round of 16 receive $15 million.
Nations reaching the quarterfinals are paid $19 million, the fourth-place team $27 million, the third-place team $29 million and the final loser $33 million.
Including participation fees, FIFA will distribute $727 million to the 48 federations.
Each federation decides what to pay its players.
The French sports daily L’Equipe reported France players were in line for a bonus of $586,000 by their federation if they won the trophy in 2022.
France was ultimately beaten by Argentina in the final.
The U.S. Soccer Federation’s 2022 collective bargaining agreements with the unions for its men’s and women’s national teams call for prize money for men in 2026 and women in 2027 to be pooled together, and 80% of the money to be distributed among the players.
Key Takeaways
- The 2026 champion will receive $50 million, up 48.9% from the 2022 prize pool.
- The total pool of $655 million is nearly six times the $110 million for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
- FIFA will distribute $727 million to federations, with each national team receiving preparation and group-stage fees.
The 2026 World Cup’s financial framework underscores FIFA’s commitment to rewarding national teams while also supporting global soccer development, setting a new benchmark for future tournaments.
