FIFA World Cup 2026 Prize Money Increased by 50%

New York. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had said that the 2026 World Cup would be the grandest edition in the tournament's 96-year history.

The participation of 48 teams for the first time, the most matches ever, the most host cities, and a shower of goals have confirmed his claim.

Superstars of world football like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland are making the tournament exciting. As the World Cup's size has increased, so has the revenue. Therefore, FIFA is distributing the largest prize money in history this time.

• How is the prize money distributed?

Last December, FIFA announced a prize fund of US$655 million (approximately NPR 110.796 billion) for the 2026 World Cup. This amount is 50 percent more than the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The winner of the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday will receive US$50 million (approximately NPR 7.716 billion). The runner-up will get US$33 million (approximately NPR 5.09256 billion).

The team that wins the third-place match on Saturday will receive US$29 million (approximately NPR 4.47528 billion), while the fourth-placed team will receive US$27 million (approximately NPR 4.16664 billion).

Morocco, Belgium, Norway, and Switzerland, who were eliminated from the quarterfinals, will each receive US$19 million (approximately NPR 2.93208 billion).

Eight teams eliminated from the Round of 16 will receive US$15 million (approximately NPR 2.3148 billion), while 16 teams eliminated from the Round of 32 will be awarded US$11 million (approximately NPR 1.69752 billion).

All 48 participating teams are guaranteed at least US$10.5 million (approximately NPR 1.62036 billion). Teams eliminated from the group stage will receive US$9 million (approximately NPR 1.3888 billion) in prize money and an additional US$1.5 million (approximately NPR 0.23148 billion) for preparation expenses.

All these prize amounts will be given to the respective country's football associations. Then, those associations will decide how to distribute them among players, coaches, and other members. Many countries spend the remaining amount on domestic football development.

For example, the United States, one of the co-hosts of this World Cup, will receive US$15 million (approximately NPR 2.3148 billion) after being eliminated in the Round of 16. According to the agreement made in 2022, if the women's team qualifies for the Women's World Cup to be held in Brazil next year, 80 percent of the World Cup prize money will be divided equally between the US men's and women's national team players. Meanwhile, England's players donate the 2,000 pounds they receive for playing each match for the national team to charity.

FIFA estimates that it will earn more than US$10 billion (approximately NPR 154.32 billion) from the first World Cup with 48 teams.

• Comparison with previous World Cups

In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the winner Argentina received US$42 million. This time, the winner will receive US$8 million more than that. The runner-up this time will also receive US$3 million more than France received in 2022. The prize money for third and fourth place has also been increased by US$2 million each.

FIFA first started publicly announcing prize money from the 1982 World Cup. At that time, Italy, which won the World Cup in Spain, received only US$2.2 million (approximately NPR 339.54 million). Since then, the prize money has been continuously increasing with each World Cup. This time's winner will receive more than 20 times the amount Italy received 44 years ago.

• What else does the winning team get?

Each member of the 26-player squad and coaching staff of the World Cup-winning team will be immediately awarded a gold medal. The runner-up will receive a silver medal, and the third-placed team will receive a bronze medal. Until 1978, only the starting 11 players who played in the final received medals. However, in 2007, FIFA decided to award 122 winner medals to members who did not play in the final of the 1974 and earlier World Cup-winning teams in subsequent years.

The referee and other match officials of the final match will also receive medals based on their performance throughout the tournament.

Similarly, after the final, the best player of the tournament will be awarded the Golden Ball, the best goalkeeper the Golden Glove, and the top scorer the Golden Boot. This time, there is a tough competition for the Golden Boot between Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane.

However, there is no cash prize associated with these individual awards. The greatest honor players can receive is to etch their names in the history of world football.

(From The Athletic)