The champion of the 2026 World Cup is set to receive a record $50 million US, while all 48 participating teams will secure a minimum of $10.5 million each. This prize amount marks an increase from $42 million in 2022 and $38 million in 2018. Despite this rise, it falls short of the prize money offered at the less-publicized Club World Cup earlier this year.
FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, revealed that the total prize pool for the 2026 World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, stands at $655 million, a 50% surge from the previous edition in Qatar. Canada, which did not advance from its group stage in Qatar, received $9 million in prize money.
For Canada Soccer, this financial boost is significant, especially considering its reported revenue of $37.5 million Cdn in 2024. As a co-host, Canada is also poised to receive an undisclosed sum as a legacy from the tournament, with intentions to allocate some of it towards a national training facility.
During the FIFA Council meeting preceding the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final in Doha, Qatar, it was announced that a staggering $727 million US will be distributed across the expanded 104-game event. A significant portion of this sum, $655 million, will be designated as prize money for the 48 participating teams. The second-place team will earn $33 million, with the third-place and fourth-place finishers securing $29 million and $27 million, respectively. Teams finishing between 33rd and 48th place will receive $9 million each.
Furthermore, each qualified team will be granted $1.5 million to cover preparation expenses. This announcement follows widespread criticism of FIFA for the high ticket prices at the tournament jointly hosted by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed the upcoming World Cup as groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community.
In a separate move, FIFA has earmarked $152 million for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a threefold increase from the previous edition in France in 2019 and over 10 times more than the 2015 tournament in Canada. Of this amount, $110 million will be awarded as prize money to the 32 participating teams.
With the expanded 2026 edition, FIFA’s projected revenue for 2023-2026 is expected to reach a record $13 billion, surpassing the initial budget of $10.9 billion approved by the FIFA Congress in 2023. FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, who also serves as CONCACAF president and hails from Vancouver, highlighted that approximately 80 to 85% of this revenue will be reinvested back into the 211 member associations, benefiting countries worldwide.