How much prize money is won at the World Cup?

FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised that this World Cup would be the biggest event in the tournament’s 96-year history.

In fact, there were more teams and games than ever before. That meant more destinations and venues than ever before. And its biggest stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland and the others put on a spectacle like never before.

With the increasing size of the World Cup comes increased revenue, and with the final three days canceled, FIFA will award record amounts of prize money to teams across the competition.

The athlete has compiled everything you need to know about this prize money and the financial rewards that the world champions of the World Cup will receive.

How is the prize money distributed at the World Cup?

Last December, FIFA unveiled a record $655 million (£489 million) prize fund for the 2026 tournament, a 50 percent increase on the previous edition in Qatar four years ago.

The winners of Sunday’s (July 19) final between Spain and Argentina will receive $50 million (US$37.1 million), while the runners-up will receive $33 million (£24.5 million). Whichever team wins the third-place playoff between France and England on Saturday will receive $29m (£21.5m) and the fourth-place team will receive $27m (£20m).

Beaten quarter-finalists Morocco, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland will receive $19m (£14.1m) each, while the eight teams eliminated from the competition in the round of 16 will receive $15m (£11.1m). The 16 players eliminated in the round of 32 received $11m (£8.2m).

All 48 teams that took part in the tournament, which began 38 days before Sunday’s final, are guaranteed at least $10.5 million (£7.8 million). Teams that failed to progress beyond the group stage will be deducted $9m (£6.7m) as well as $1.5m (£1.1m) to cover ‘preparation costs’.

This prize money is awarded to each country’s football associations and associations, with these bodies then deciding how much to distribute to their players and coaches. The remaining prize money is often used to finance football development in the respective country.

The United States, one of the three co-hosts of this World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, will receive $15 million for reaching the round of 16 before being eliminated by Belgium. 80 percent of that will be split evenly between players on the men’s and women’s national teams if their women’s team qualifies for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil under an agreement signed in 2022. England players donate the £2,000 fee they receive from the Football Association for each international appearance to charity.

The USMNT on the pitch after their loss to Belgium in the round of 16 (David Ramos/Getty Images

FIFA, a nonprofit organization, predicted revenue of more than $10 billion (£7.5 billion) from this first 48-team World Cup, meaning its prize money would account for about 6.5 percent of tournament revenue.

How does this compare to previous World Cups?

This increase in revenue will contribute to a forecast of $13 billion (£9.7 billion) over FIFA’s four-year cycle including this tournament, up from the figure for the previous four-year period, which included the 2022 finals, of $7.6 billion (£5.7 billion).

The winner’s prize is the only offering to see a significant increase from Qatar, where Argentina earned $42 million (£31 million), $8 million (£6 million) less than the champions will receive on Sunday.

The country that finishes second this time will earn $3 million (£2.2 million) more than France in 2022, with the money going to the teams in third and fourth place, increasing by $2 million (£1.5 million) each.

FIFA began publishing its prize money as early as the 1982 tournament, where Italy earned just $2.2 million (£1.6 million) for their win in Spain and the total prize pot was $20 million (£15 million). Since then, the total prize money has increased at every World Cup, and the amount going to this year’s winners is over 20 times higher than Italy 44 years ago.

What else do the winners get besides the money?

The 26 players and coaching staff of the team that wins the World Cup on Sunday will each receive a gold medal. Likewise, the runners-up will receive silver and the winners of the third/fourth playoffs on Saturday will receive bronze.

Medals were only awarded to the 11 players who appeared in the final before 1978. FIFA announced in 2007 that 122 winners’ medals would be retroactively awarded to squad players who had not achieved places in the final starting eleven of the winning nations from 1974 and before.

The match officials for the final will also receive medals, as they are selected based on their tournament form and the suitability of the participating teams.

After the final, individual prizes will be awarded for the best player (Golden Ball) and best goalkeeper (Golden Glove) of the tournament, chosen by FIFA accredited media representatives.

The race for the Golden Boot, awarded to the competition’s top goalscorer, was the best in modern times, with players like Messi, Mbappe, Haaland, Bellingham and Harry Kane all in top form.

Kylian Mbappe couldn’t muster a smile after France’s 2022 World Cup final defeat – despite winning the tournament’s Golden Boot (Stephen McCarthy – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

These awards do not come with any financial reward for the recipients, but simply with the honor of writing their name into football history.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7447101/2026/07/16/how-much-prize-money-is-won-at-the-world-cup/