The winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive a record $50m in prize money, FIFA has announced.
The amount is an increase from the $42m paid to the champions at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the $38m awarded in 2018.
FIFA said the total prize pool for the tournament will be $655m, about 50 percent higher than the last edition. The competition will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will feature 48 teams for the first time.
Every participating nation will receive at least $9m, while an additional $1.5m will be paid to each team to cover what FIFA described as “preparation costs”.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament would be “groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community”.
Under the prize structure approved by FIFA’s council, the runners-up will earn $33m. Teams finishing third and fourth will receive $29m and $27m respectively.
In total, FIFA said $727m will be distributed to the national football federations involved.