FIFA hikes money distributed to teams in 2026 World Cup

Thanks to the "commercial success" of the men's World Cup, FIFA will increase the money distributed to teams participating in this summer's tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The FIFA Council, a strategic group of soccer executives comprised of representatives from around the world, announced its decision after a meeting ahead of the FIFA Congress, set to take place April 30 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The increase in funds was announced after reports that nations were expressing concern about the costs they'll accrue during the World Cup, including travel, tax payments and operational expenses.

How much money will FIFA give teams participating in the 2026 World Cup?

FIFA will increase the total distribution to $871 million, a 15% increase from the amount previously planned. That money is distributed among the 48 participating teams.

FIFA says the changes will take teams' preparation money from $1.5 million to $2.5 million, the qualification money from $9 million to $10 million and subsidies to delegations plus increased ticketing allocations adding up to $16 million.

The amount distributed to each team depends on their on-field performance. When the FIFA Council announced sums in December 2025, it said the World Cup champion would receive $50 million in prize money while the last-place finisher in the tournament would receive at least $10.5 million.

“FIFA is proud to be in its most solid financial position ever, enabling us to help all our Member Associations in an unprecedented way. This is one more example of how FIFA’s resources are reinvested back into the game,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

FIFA also noted that, "the balance of revenues will continue to be redistributed back into global football for the benefit of and through all of FIFA’s 211 Member Associations."

Who is on the FIFA Council?

The decision came from the FIFA Council ahead of the FIFA Congress. The council is made up of Infantino, the presidents of the six confederations that make up FIFA, plus delegates from each of those regions — typically FA presidents. The Congress brings together leadership from all 211 member associations.

Among other decisions made by the council was approving changes to red card rules, allowing single yellow cards to be cleared after the World Cup group stage and after the quarterfinals, and confirming that Infantino will be up for election for the 2027-2031 term. The electoral period begins April 30, 2026, the date of this year's FIFA Congress, and runs through the election at next year's FIFA Congress.

Also of note for fans in the U.S. and the rest of the Concacaf region, the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup was awarded to Miami, Florida, and will take place Jan. 27-31, 2027. The Concacaf Gold Cup, the region's top international men's competition, will take place from June 19-July 11, 2027.

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