FIFA announces a record $655 million prize fund for the 2026 World Cup, with the champions set to earn $50 million.
PARIS: The winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive a record USD 50 million in prize money.
World football’s governing body announced the figure as part of a total tournament prize fund of USD 655 million.
This represents an increase of almost 50% from the USD 440 million distributed during the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The 2026 event will be the first to feature 48 teams, a 50% expansion from the previous 32-team format.
The beaten finalists will receive USD 33 million, while the third and fourth-placed teams get USD 29 million and USD 27 million respectively.
All teams eliminated in the group phase will receive USD 9 million.
Each of the 48 participating nations will also get an additional USD 1.5 million to cover preparation costs.
The announcement follows recent criticism from fans over ticket pricing for the tournament.
Organisers unveiled a new cut-price ticket category priced at USD 60 for all 104 matches, including the final.
FIFA said the plan was designed to support travelling fans following their national teams.
Fan group Football Supporters Europe responded by saying FIFA was offering too little.
It described the new ticket category as “nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash”.
The group claimed few fans would benefit, with only a few hundred per match likely to access the USD 60 prices. – AFP
