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FIFA has announced a 50% increase in prize money for the 2026 World Cup, revealing that the tournament's winners will receive $50 million as a reward for their success.
The news comes days after widespread public outrage over ticket prices for matches at the tournament, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. To address the concern, FIFA has announced that reduced-price tickets will be offered to fans of participating teams.
Following a FIFA Council meeting in Doha, global football's governing body announced that a total of $727 million will be allocated to its members as a result of the 2026 World Cup. Of this amount, $655 million will be distributed as prize money to the teams that qualify. The winning team will receive $50 million, while the runners-up will receive $33 million. The teams ranked 33rd to 48th will each receive $9 million. Each team will also receive $1.5 million for "preparation costs", providing a minimum of $10.5 million for each nation.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: " The 2026 World Cup will be a historic event for the financial contribution to the global football community ."
In a previous revision of forecasts, FIFA announced that it expects to achieve record revenues for the four-year cycle ending with the 2026 World Cup. The organization expects to receive about $13 billion from marketing rights and other sources, a significant increase compared to the $7.5 billion it collected during the previous cycle (2018-2022).
Meanwhile, FIFA also announced that tickets at a lower price of $60 (around £45) will be distributed to the most loyal fans of the participating teams, as part of a limited package that will be available. However, only 10% of tickets will be available at this price. For the opening match between England and Croatia, for example, only around 400 fans can benefit from this price, out of over 4,000 who can buy tickets through the England Supporters' Club (ESTC). For the rest, ticket prices will start from £198 for the first match, and can go up to £3,140 for the final.
The chairman of the Football Supporters' Association in England, Tom Greatrex, criticised FIFA for its high ticket prices and stressed that the tournament's huge prize money showed there was scope for reducing costs for fans. " With more teams, bigger stadiums and a wider range of commercial partners, there is no need to charge unaffordable prices to fans who wear the World Cup colours ," he said. " It is not too late for FIFA to right the wrong and save what makes the World Cup special ."
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