FIFA set to revise 2026 prize pot upwards as nations warn they could lose money playing in the US

FIFA is set to increase prize money and participation payments for the 2026 World Cup, with final figures expected to be signed off by the FIFA Council at its meeting in Vancouver this week ahead of the FIFA Congress on Thursday February 28.

FIFA had already announced a record prize pot of $727 million last December, with each of the 48 teams guaranteed at least $10.5 million and the winners set to receive $50 million. How much that figure will now rise to has yet to be confirmed, but to put the prize money into context, the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the US last summer had prize money of $1 billion.

The move to increase this summer’s prize money follows pressure from a number of national associations concerned that the cost of competing – particularly in the United States – could outweigh the financial returns, even for teams progressing deep into the tournament.

Travel, accommodation and operational expenses, combined with a complex tax environment across host cities, have been the cause for those concerns.

In a statement, FIFA said: “This includes a proposed increase of financial contributions to all qualified teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and of development funding available to all 211 member associations.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community, and FIFA is proud to be in its strongest ever financial position to benefit the global game through its FIFA Forward programme. Subject to discussions, further details will be provided in due course.”

FIFA is projecting revenues of about $13 billion for the current cycle, with approximately $9 billion tied directly to the 2026 tournament this summer.

Its latest annual report already committed $11.67 billion to redistribution across the game – a figure that is now expected to increase.

For the majority of the 48 associations taking part – many of whom will not escape the group stages – the issue has been less about headline prize money and more about net return. Under the current model, incremental gains for reaching the last 32, last 16 and quarter-finals are relatively modest, with meaningful financial upside largely concentrated in the final stages.

That dynamic, coupled with the absence of uniform tax exemptions for competing teams, has sharpened concerns from lower down the pyramid.

While FIFA retains that tax-free status, participating nations will face varying federal and state taxes, ranging from zero in Florida to double-digit rates in states such as California and New Jersey, where the final will be held at MetLife Stadium.

Several European associations are understood to have lobbied for changes, argued that without a change in the tax regulations or an increased share in the prize pot, many teams would struggle to break even.