The FIFA Council has approved a historic financial package of $727 million for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, representing a massive 50 per cent increase from the total prize money shared at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The unprecedented contribution will be distributed among the 48 Participating Member Associations (PMAs) set to compete at the expanded World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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At the heart of the package is a $655 million prize money pool, the largest in World Cup history, underlining FIFA’s commitment to increasing financial rewards and supporting football development across all confederations.
Under the approved structure, the World Cup champions will earn $50 million, while the runners-up receive $33 million. Teams finishing third and fourth will collect $29 million and $27 million respectively, with nations placed fifth to eighth earning $19 million each.
Further down the standings, teams finishing ninth to 16th will receive $15 million, those ranked 17th to 32nd will earn $11 million, while teams eliminated at the earliest stage, 33rd to 48th, will still take home $9 million.
In addition, FIFA has approved a $1.5 million preparation fee for each of the 48 qualified teams. This upfront payment is designed to cover expenses related to training camps, travel and logistics ahead of the tournament.
The structure guarantees that every participating nation will earn a minimum of $10.5 million, even if eliminated in the first round — a combination of the $9 million participation prize and the $1.5 million preparation grant.
The record-breaking financial commitment further highlights FIFA’s strategy to ensure the expanded World Cup delivers greater economic benefits to national federations, particularly those from developing football regions, while raising the stakes at what is expected to be the largest and most lucrative World Cup in history.
