World Football governing body, FIFA has announced a 50% increase in the prize money that will be awarded to participating teams at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The increase forms the bulk of a record $727m financial contribution that FIFA’s council has approved today in Doha, Qatar.
The FIFA Council met ahead of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final and took key decisions in relation to the development of youth football and governance matters.
With excitement mounting ahead of next year’s World Cup, the FIFA Council approved a record-breaking financial contribution of USD 727 million to be distributed as a result of the FIFA World Cup 2026
The biggest share – USD 655 million, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous edition – will be paid out as prize money among the 48 participating teams as follows:
Champions: USD 50 million
Runners-up: USD 33 million
3rd place: USD 29 million
4th place: USD 27 million
5th-8th place: USD 19 million
9th-16th place: USD 15 million
17th- 32nd place: USD 11 million
33rd-48th place: USD 9 million
In addition, each qualified team will receive USD 1.5 million to cover preparation costs. This means that all Participating Member Associations are guaranteed at least USD 10.5 million each for their participation in next year’s tournament.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 will also be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
According to their projections, FIFA anticipates record revenues over the four-year cycle that ends in next year’s World Cup. It expects to take in $13bn between 2022 and 2026, up from $7.5bn over the four years to 2022 (itself an increase from $6.4bn over the previous cycle). Much of the growth was attributed by Fifa to the expansion of the World Cup and the men’s Club World Cup which took place in the US last summer.
At the same FIFA Council meeting, a new festival-style U-15 tournament for all Member Associations was introduced. As part of FIFA’s unwavering commitment to promoting the youth game, the FIFA Council confirmed the introduction of new FIFA U-15 festival-style tournaments for boys and girls that will be open to all 211 FIFA Member Associations.
The first edition will be contested by boys’ teams and take place in 2026. The second instalment, in 2027, will feature girls’ teams.
Building on this momentum, from 2028 onwards, all Member Associations will be invited to participate with both their boys’ and girls’ U-15 teams in two separate competitions. To align with the development needs of U-15 players, the matches will be shorter in duration and will be played on smaller pitches, while teams will comprise between seven and nine players per side.
“In recent years, FIFA has stepped up its efforts to boost youth football, the results of which are plain for all to see. We have been very active in promoting youth competitions and development, and this is a natural next step, and a very joyous one,” said President Infantino.
“Having FIFA U-15 festivals for boys and girls will be fundamental in FIFA’s quest to give every talent a chance all over the world and yet another example of how FIFA reinvests in the game.” He added.
Additionally, the FIFA Council also approved the establishment of a post-conflict recovery fund. This follows the announcement made by President Infantino at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace on 13 October 2025 that FIFA intended to create a support mechanism for regions that have experienced conflict.
Interesting!