The FIFA World Cup trophy is on display at MetLife Stadium prior to the FIFA World Cup final on July 15, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Jordan Bank – FIFA | Fifa | Getty Images
The winner of the World Cup will lift a trophy, receive championship rings for the first time and achieve lifelong fame at a pivotal moment in the country’s sporting history. It will also result in a significant payday.
The world champion earns $51 million. The second prize is $34 million.
FIFA increased the payout for the 2026 World Cup, setting a record with a total of $871 million paid to the 48 participating teams. That total includes more than $100 million that was added in April after some federations in Europe sought help covering the costs of a tournament in three countries that required extensive travel and accommodation.
The $51 million for Argentina or Spain is a large sum, but even it pales in comparison to the fortunes spent on global soccer. It is also less than what last year’s Club World Cup winner earned at a tournament also held in the United States
For comparison, the $51 million for the winner is less than the transfer fee paid by English club Brighton on Tuesday for a 19-year-old defender who spent most of the World Cup on the bench: Croatian Luka Vušković.
This is what you should know about the World Cup prize money:
Table of Contents
All teams are paid
FIFA pays money to the 48 national associations in two categories: prize money bonuses based on each team’s progress in the tournament and lump sum payments to cover training and preparation costs.
All 48 players will receive at least $12.5 million to take part in the World Cup, including $10 million in prize money for qualifying and participating in the group stage. Each will receive $2.5 million for training and pre-tournament expenses. This advance payment was agreed at previous World Cups to avoid tensions in the run-up to the tournament, where it was not uncommon for players to claim that their association had not paid bonuses.
The prize money increases depending on the teams’ progress.
Higher amounts follow the association’s demands
Some associations, particularly from Europe, had told FIFA that because of the prize money structure set last year and payments for preparation costs, they would lose money on the tournament if their teams did not advance deep into the knockout stages.
French federation president Philippe Diallo told sports newspaper L’Equipe that he had been alerting FIFA President Gianni Infantino for several months that World Cup teams were not being adequately rewarded compared to what club world champions Chelsea received a year ago. That was $115 million after FIFA had to promise a nine-figure reward to convince big-name European clubs to take part in the revamped competition.
World Cup teams that play games in the United States are also subject to some tax obligations that Canada and Mexico are exempt from.
The world champion gets the big money
The eventual champion will receive $51 million, compared to $42 million for the Argentine federation for winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar. This 32-team edition had a total prize pool of $440 million.
This is what the others get:
Runner-up: $34 million
Third place (England): $30 million
Fourth place (France): $28 million
Quarterfinalists (fifth through eighth): $20 million each
Round of 16 (9th to 16th): $16 million each
Round of 16 (17th to 32nd): $12 million each
Group stage (33rd to 48th): $10 million each
Flights and hotels are covered
In addition to the payout amounts, and in accordance with World Cup regulations, FIFA is already obliged to pay for each association a round-trip business class flight to the tournament, as well as food and accommodation for a 50-strong delegation, which includes the players. Hotel payments begin five nights before a team’s first game and one night after their elimination.
FIFA will also cover domestic travel costs for up to 50 delegation members as well as “a dedicated fleet of vehicles, including an equipment van.”
The football associations of the World Cup teams must pay for “adequate insurance… including but not limited to injuries, accidents, illnesses and travel” as well as “incidental hotel costs” and the accommodation of additional members of a delegation.
The World Cup trophy
The biggest honor is of course the World Cup trophy.
A general view as a drone show takes place over New York Harbor in front of the Lower Manhattan skyline at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey on July 17, 2026, displaying a graphic of the FIFA World Cup Cup.
Maja Hitij – Fifa | Fifa | Getty Images
On Sunday the champions will celebrate with an award ceremony after the final whistle. The original trophy is not awarded permanently. Instead, winners receive a gold-plated replica that they get to keep.
The World Cup prize money is paid by FIFA to the associations – not to the players. It is up to each association’s rules how they handle the money.
Example: US Soccer keeps 20% of the prize money. The remaining 80% the U.S. men’s national soccer team receives will be split equally between the men’s and women’s national teams following a groundbreaking agreement in 2022 that will pay men’s and women’s teams equally.
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