FIFA has announced a major increase in prize money for the 2026 World Cup, revealing that the eventual champions will take home 50 million dollars as part of the largest financial payout in the tournament’s history.
The world football governing body disclosed on Wednesday, December 17, that the total prize pool for the competition will stand at 655 million dollars. This marks a sharp rise of nearly 50 percent compared to the 440 million dollars shared among teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The significant increase reflects the expanded format of the 2026 tournament, which will be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. For the first time, the World Cup will feature 48 teams, up from the traditional 32-team format used in previous editions.
At the 2022 World Cup, Argentina earned 42 million dollars after Lionel Messi inspired his side to a dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in the final. France, who finished as runners-up, received 30 million dollars.
Under the revised prize structure for 2026, the team that finishes second will be awarded 33 million dollars. The third-placed team will earn 29 million dollars, while the losing semi-finalist will receive 27 million dollars.
FIFA also stated that teams knocked out at the group stage will each be paid 9 million dollars. Beyond that, all 48 participating nations will receive an additional 1.5 million dollars to cover what FIFA described as “preparation costs”.
The announcement underlines FIFA’s increased financial commitment to the expanded World Cup, which is widely expected to be the biggest edition ever in terms of scale, participation and global audience.
