FIFA increases cash payments for 2026 World Cup

FIFA on Tuesday increased its total World Cup funding to almost $900 million, following concerns about rising costs for teams participating in the tournament.

Football’s global governing body said in a statement that the money shared between the 48 teams taking part in the finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States would now total $871 million, up from an initial figure of $727 million announced in December.

The cash injection was announced after a meeting of FIFA’s governing council ahead of FIFA’s congress in Vancouver on Thursday.

The hefty increase comes after several FIFA members reportedly claimed that the high costs of travel, taxes and general operations could cause them to lose money by participating in the tournament.

FIFA has now taken steps to address these concerns, increasing a $1.5 million reward for “preparation costs” to $2.5 million for each of the qualifying teams.

A $9 million payment for qualifying for the tournament has also been increased to $10 million.

Further contributions towards team delegation costs and higher allocations for team tickets are also part of the overall increase.

“FIFA is proud to be in the strongest financial position ever, allowing us to support all our member associations in an unprecedented way,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

“This is another example of FIFA’s resources being reinvested into the game.”

FIFA is expected to earn around $13 billion from the current four-year World Cup cycle, which culminates with this year’s tournament, the biggest World Cup in history.

FIFA’s prize money announced last year for the 2026 tournament had already shattered the amount of money handed out at the 2022 World Cup, rising by 50 percent.

The increase in cash payments has put FIFA under increasing fire for the high cost of tickets for the tournament, while some local authorities in the United States have dramatically increased transport costs during the event.

Published on April 29, 2026