FIFA has revealed a 50% rise in the prize money it will distribute to teams participating in next year’s World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This occurs in the midst of backlash regarding ticket prices at the event.
The payment constitutes the majority of a record $727m (£544.8m) financial distribution that the governing body’s council has sanctioned due to the event.
The winners of the World Cup will get $50m (£37.4m), while the runners-up will be given $33m (£24.7m). Teams that do not advance past the group stage will receive $9m (£6.7m).
Moreover, every eligible team will be awarded $1.5m (£1.1m) to assist with preparation expenses, ensuring that all involved member associations are each assured at least $10.5m (£7.8m).
FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated that the payments demonstrated the World Cup would “be revolutionary regarding its financial impact on the global football community.” The organization has projected unprecedented revenues, totaling $13bn (£9.7bn) for the 2023-2026 period.
The announcement follows a day after FIFA launched a limited range of £45 tickets for every one of the 104 matches at the World Cup due to backlash regarding its ticket pricing system for the event.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters’ Association, stated, “The unprecedented prize fund shows that there is no lack of money linked to the World Cup.”
“It is not too late for FIFA to avoid the catastrophic error of all but killing what is special about the World Cup.
“They should act now.”
The partial climbdown was welcomed by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer; however, he also encouraged FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable.
FIFA’s council also approved the establishment of a post-conflict recovery fund “in line with [its] objective of promoting football’s unifying values. It said this followed “the announcement made by President Infantino at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace on 13 October 2025 that FIFA intended to create a support mechanism for regions that have experienced conflict.”
“This financial instrument, which will be open to third-party contributions and be subject to strict oversight, will complement action already implemented under the FIFA Forward Programme and other FIFA initiatives.”
