FIFA confirmed that prize money for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be increased by 50%, which means that this will be the first such huge commitment to be made in the history of the tournament. On Wednesday, the world football governing body announced that it has approved a record $727 million funding package for the expanded 48-team competition that will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Most of the money – $655 million – will be used for performance-based payments, which will then be distributed to the participating nations. The winners of the World Cup will be given $50 million, while the runners-up are going to be paid $33 million. Even the teams that are going to be knocked out of the group stage will be awarded $9 million, thus demonstrating FIFA’s endeavor to spread financial assistance to all competitors.
Moreover, every nation that qualifies will receive $1.5 million as preparation grants, which will be used to cover the costs of the logistics and operations ahead of the tournament.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino characterized the 2026 World Cup as “groundbreaking” financially and stated that the larger prize money would help football develop worldwide.
In addition to the World Cup, FIFA’s Council also gave the green light to new festival-style under-15 youth tournaments from 2026, with boys’ competitions first, followed by girls’ events in 2027. Besides that, the Council gave the green light to the Women’s Club World Cup to be staged from January 5 to 30, 2028.
