By Ayomide Otitoju
FIFA has announced a record prize pool of $655 million for the 2026 World Cup, with the tournament winners set to receive $50 million in prize money.
The total prize fund represents an increase of nearly 50 per cent from the $440 million shared among teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The expanded financial package reflects the enlarged format of the 2026 tournament, which will feature 48 teams—up from 32 in the previous edition.
The World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, marking the first time the competition will be staged across three countries.
At the 2022 tournament, the Argentine Football Association earned $42 million after Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory over France on penalties in the final, while France received $30 million as runners-up.
Under the new prize structure, the losing finalists in 2026 will earn $33 million, third-place teams will receive $29 million, and the other losing semi-finalists will collect $27 million. Teams eliminated at the group stage will receive $9 million.
In addition, all 48 participating nations will be paid an extra $1.5 million each to cover preparation costs, FIFA said.
