The Council of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) approved a record sum of financial disbursements for the national teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, amounting to $727 million. Journalist Ben Jacobs announced this on December 17th on his X page (formerly Twitter).
The major portion of the fund, $655 million, will be allocated as prize money contingent upon a squad’s final standing at the competition. The World Cup victor will receive $50 million, the runner-up $33 million, and the third-place finisher $29 million.
Teams that finish from fifth to eighth place will each get $19 million, from ninth to 16th—$15 million each, from 17th to 32nd—$11 million each, and the tournament newcomers finishing from 33rd to 48th—$9 million each.
Furthermore, every qualified squad will receive a fixed stipend of $1.5 million to cover preparatory expenditures. Consequently, even the squad finishing last in the expanded 48-nation tournament is guaranteed to secure at least $10.5 million.
On December 13th, it was reported that FIFA might suspend the Argentina national team from the 2026 World Cup. It is noted that the federation could impose penalties against the team due to a corruption scandal within the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The organization’s head, Claudio Tapia, and several of his subordinates are suspected of illicit enrichment.
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