2026 FIFA World Cup Prize Money: Champions, Runners-Up and Every Team’s Earnings

Winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive a record USD 50 million (approximately Ksh 6.5 billion) after FIFA increased the tournament prize money after the expansion of the competition to 48 teams.

The global football governing body has set aside USD 871 million (approximately Ksh 112 billion) in total financial distribution for the tournament.

The amount includes USD 655 million in performance-based prize money, with the remainder allocated to qualification and tournament preparation payments for all participating nations.

The World Cup champions will take home USD 50 million, which is an increase of USD 8 million from the USD 42 million awarded to Argentina after they won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

1st Runners Up

The runners-up will receive USD 33 million, while the third-place team will receive USD 29 million.

The team that will finish on the fourth place will be able to receive USD 27 million.

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Teams that will reach the quarter-finals but fail to progress to the first four will each receive USD 19 million.

Nations that will be eliminated in the round of 16 will be able to earn USD 15 million, while those who will be removed in the round of 32 will go home with USD 11 million each.

Teams That Fail To Progress

Those teams that fail to progress beyond the group stage will receive USD 9 million in performance-based prize money, ensuring every nation benefits financially from the World Cup.

Beyond the performance awards, FIFA also guaranteed financial support to all the qualified teams even before the tournament started.

Each of the 48 performing football nations will receive USD 10 million as a qualification payment and an additional amount of USD 2.5 million to cover tournament preparation costs.

Every nation that qualifies for the World Cup is guaranteed at least USD 12.5 million regardless of how they perform on the field.

Increase in Prize Money

The increase in prize money comes after the expansion of the FIFA World Cup from 32 to 48 teams.

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The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada and is featuring 104 matches, making it the largest World Cup.

According to FIFA, the enhanced financial distribution reflects the competition’s expanded format and also provides greater financial support to participating teams.

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