The 2026 FIFA World Cup became the most lucrative tournament in football history. The expansion from 32 to 48 teams, combined with increased commercial revenue, enabled FIFA to significantly raise payments to national football associations.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the total financial package allocated to participating teams reached $871 million. This included prize money, preparation grants, as well as additional funding for travel, accommodation and other tournament-related expenses.
Each of the 48 participating associations received $2.5 million in preparation funding before the tournament began. The remaining payments depended on each team's performance.
Teams eliminated in the group stage earned $10 million in prize money. Including the preparation grant, each federation received a total of $12.5 million.
Teams that reached the Round of 32 received $12 million in prize money, bringing their total earnings to $14.5 million. Those eliminated in the Round of 16 took home a total of $18.5 million, including preparation funding.
Quarter-finalists earned $22.5 million each. Fourth-placed France received a total of $30.5 million, while third-placed England collected $32.5 million.
Argentina earned $36.5 million by reaching the final. World champions Spain received $51 million in prize money, plus the $2.5 million preparation grant, bringing their total earnings to $53.5 million.
Overall, the direct payments distributed among the 48 participating teams, including preparation grants, amounted to $823 million. The remaining portion of the $871 million package covered additional expenses and subsidies.
For comparison, the prize fund for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar stood at $440 million, while the overall financial package, including preparation grants, reached $488 million. At the 2026 tournament, that figure increased by approximately 69 percent, despite the number of participating teams growing by 50 percent.
Teams eliminated in the group stage in Qatar received $10.5 million each, Round of 16 participants earned $14.5 million, and quarter-finalists collected $18.5 million.
Morocco received $26.5 million for finishing fourth at the 2022 World Cup, while France earned $30.5 million for the same position in 2026. The payment for the third-place team increased from $28.5 million to $32.5 million, while the runners-up saw their earnings rise from $31.5 million to $36.5 million.
Meanwhile, Argentina received a total of $43.5 million for winning the 2022 World Cup. Spain's reward for lifting the trophy in 2026 was $10 million higher.
It is important to note that the money is paid to national football associations rather than directly to the players. Each federation independently decides how much of the funds will be distributed as bonuses to players and coaching staff.
As for FIFA itself, the organization's final audited revenue from the 2026 World Cup has not yet been published. FIFA expects its total revenue for the 2023–2026 cycle to exceed $15 billion.
For comparison, FIFA generated $7.568 billion in revenue during the 2019–2022 cycle, with $6.314 billion of that amount coming from the Qatar 2022 World Cup. As a result, revenue for the current four-year cycle could nearly double the previous figure. These numbers refer to gross revenue rather than FIFA's net profit.
