World football governing body, FIFA, has agreed in principle to increase the prize money and participation fees for the 2026 World Cup. The details of the enhanced funding will be approved at a meeting of the FIFA Council in Vancouver this week, as reported by theguardian.com.
According to The Guardian, FIFA responded to concerns raised by several national associations that the high costs of travel, operations, and tax in the United States this summer could result in financial losses, even for teams that perform well and reach the later stages of the tournament.
In December, FIFA announced a record World Cup prize fund of $727 million (approximately £539 million), with each of the 48 competing teams receiving a minimum of $10.5 million and the winners getting $50 million. However, after discussions with several national football associations in recent weeks, the prize money will be increased further.
Additionally, the development funding distributed to all 211 FIFA members will also be increased from the projected $2.7 billion it was already due to distribute over the next four-year cycle. Each national association was set to receive a guaranteed payment of $5 million, with the six confederations each receiving $60 million to help develop football in their regions. These payments are now set to rise.
“Ahead of a FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on April 28, 2026, FIFA can confirm it is in discussions with associations around the world to increase available revenues,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement. “This includes a proposed increase of financial contributions to all qualified teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and of development funding available to all 211 member associations,” the statement added.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community, and FIFA is proud to be in its strongest ever financial position to benefit the global game through its FIFA Forward programme. Subject to discussions, further details will be provided in due course.”
FIFA projects revenues of $13 billion in the four-year cycle concluding with this summer’s World Cup, of which $9 billion will be generated by the tournament alone. Sources indicate that FIFA’s strong financial position has enabled it to increase prize money and participation payments. The organisation’s 2025 yearly report stated that $11.67 billion of its revenues would be redistributed “to boost global football development,” a 20 per cent rise on the previous cycle, and that figure will now increase further.
Many of the larger European associations, including the English FA, have petitioned FIFA to increase its prize fund amid concerns they would lose money at this World Cup. Under FIFA’s initial distribution plan, merit payments increase incrementally for progressing through the rounds. An additional $2 million is paid for reaching the last 32, $4 million more for getting to the last 16, and an extra $8 million for qualifying for the quarter-finals, with the biggest leap reserved for semi-finalists and finalists.
As a result, many European football federations claimed they would lose money unless they reached the last four and asked UEFA to intervene on their behalf. Sources involved in those discussions praised FIFA for listening to their concerns.
In addition to the high costs of doing business in the U.S., financial concerns have been amplified by the uneven tax burden facing national associations. While FIFA has tax-free status, it was unable to negotiate exemptions for the 48 qualifiers, as it has done in previous tournaments. National associations must pay a range of federal, state, and city taxes on their earnings, which vary significantly. There is no state tax in Florida, where seven games will take place in Miami, whereas it is 10.75 per cent in New Jersey, whose MetLife Stadium will stage the final, and 13.3 per cent in California, where Los Angeles and San Francisco will host games.
