FIFA has revealed that the 2026 World Cup winners will take home $50 million, part of a record $655 million total prize fund for the tournament.
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This marks an increase of nearly 50 per cent compared with the $440 million distributed to teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The next World Cup, set to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will also be the first to feature 48 teams, up from 32 in the previous edition.
At the last tournament, the Argentine Football Association received $42 million after Lionel Messi led them to victory over France in a penalty shootout. France, the runners-up, earned $30 million.
For 2026, the losing finalists will collect $33 million, third-place finishers $29 million, and the other semi-finalists $27 million.
Teams eliminated in the group stage will receive $9 million, while all 48 participating nations will also receive an additional $1.5 million to cover ‘preparation costs’.
The announcement highlighted FIFA’s push to make the next World Cup the largest and most financially rewarding tournament in history, reflecting the expanded field and global interest in the game.
Meanwhile, FIFA slashed the price of some World Cup tickets for teams’ most loyal fans following a global backlash and some will get $60 seats for the final instead of being asked to pay $4,185.
FIFA said Tuesday that $60 tickets will be made available for every game at the tournament in North America, going to the national federations whose teams are playing. Those federations decide how to distribute them to loyal fans who have attended previous games at home and on the road.
The number of $60 tickets for each game is likely to be in the hundreds, rather than thousands, in what FIFA is now calling a “Supporter Entry Tier” price category.
FIFA did not specify exactly why it so dramatically changed strategy, but said the lower prices are “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”
The World Cup in North America will be the first edition that features 48 teams — up from 32 — and is expected to earn FIFA at least $10 billion in revenue.
However, fans worldwide reacted with shock and anger last week on seeing FIFA’s ticketing plans that gave participating teams no tickets in the lowest-priced category.
The cheapest prices ranged from $120 to $265 for group-stage games that did not involve co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA had set those prices despite the co-hosts having pledged eight years ago — when they were bidding for the tournament — that hundreds of thousands of $21 tickets would be made available.
Criticism from fans, especially in Europe, had been increasing for several months over plans for “dynamic pricing” plus extra fees on a FIFA-run resale platform — both features which are common in the US entertainment industry but not to soccer fans worldwide.
Fan anger intensified last week when it became clear loyal supporters would have no access to the cheapest category tickets and that fans who wanted to reserve a ticket for all of their team’s potential games — through the final — would not get refunded until after the tournament.
In another climbdown Tuesday, FIFA said it would waive its administrative fees when refunds are made after the July 19 final.
The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the most lucrative in history, with FIFA projecting at least $10 billion in revenue from the expanded 48-team format and matches across three host nations.
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