World Cup prize money could rise further if FIFA holds talks with associations

FIFA is in talks with national associations to increase prize money for all 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, football’s global governing body said on Sunday.

The proposal must be approved on Tuesday at the FIFA Council meeting, which takes place ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver.

In December, FIFA said prize money for the 2026 World Cup would be 50 percent higher than the previous edition, at $655 million, after agreeing a record $727 million in financial contributions to the tournament.

However, FIFA has told Reuters that the prize money on offer will increase, with the global governing body expected to exceed $11 billion in revenue in the current four-year cycle from 2023 to 2026.

“FIFA can confirm that it is in discussions with associations around the world to increase available revenue,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

“This includes a proposed increase in financial contributions to all qualifying teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and in the development funding available to all 211 member associations.

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“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community and FIFA is proud to be in the strongest financial position ever to benefit world sport through its FIFA Forward programme.”

The bulk of FIFA’s initial funding package for the North American showpiece, $655 million, would consist of performance-based payments to the 48 participating countries.

FIFA’s prize money announcement in December stated that the champion would take home $50 million and the runners-up $33 million, while the 16 countries that failed to advance from the first group stage would earn $9 million.

In addition, each eligible country would be entitled to $1.5 million to cover preparation costs.

According to the 2025 FIFA Annual Report, 93 percent of the total budgeted revenues had already been contracted by the end of 2025, thanks to the success of the first 32-team Club World Cup held in the United States last year.

Published on April 26, 2026