FIFA is putting together a major compensation package for football clubs that release players to represent their countries at the 2026 World Cup. According to Melchor Ruiz of El Partidazo de COPE, clubs are expected to receive more than €9,000 per player per day throughout the tournament.
The payments will apply not only to clubs that hold the players' contracts, but also to teams where footballers are currently playing on loan. The 2026 World Cup will be staged across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, running for 38 days from June 11 to July 19.
With the tournament expanding to 48 teams for the first time, clubs are expected to lose players for longer periods than in previous editions, increasing concerns over player workload and fixture congestion. The compensation programme is designed to ease those concerns and reward clubs for releasing players for international duty during one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
