FIFA agrees 50% rise in prize money for 2026 World Cup

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Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw - John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., U.S. - December 5, 2025 General view of the FIFA World Cup trophy during the draw Pool via REUTERS/Mandel Ngan

LONDON, Dec 17 - Prize money for next years World Cup will be 50% higher than the previous edition with ‍world ​governing body FIFA agreeing a record $727 ‍million financial contribution to the tournament on Wednesday.

The biggest slice of ​FIFAs ​funding package for the North American showpiece - $655 million - will be performance-based payments to 48 participating nations with the ‍champions taking $50 million and the runners-up $33 million.

The FIFA World Cup ​2026 will also ⁠be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

The 16 nations ​that fail to survive beyond the initial group phase will earn $9 ‌million while in addition, each ​qualified nation is entitled to $1.5 million to cover preparation costs.

FIFAs Council also confirmed festival-style youth tournaments for under-15s open to all member associations to commence in 2026 with a boys events followed by a girls competition in 2027.

In ‍recent years, FIFA has stepped up its efforts to ​boost youth football, Infantino said. This is a natural next step.

FIFA ​Council also confirmed that the 2028 Womens ‌Club