FIFA has confirmed that the prize pool for the 2026 World Cup will be 49% higher than for the previous edition in 2022.
The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest international tournament ever, with 48 teams competing – 16 more than each of the last seven World Cups.
It’s not just the prize money that will be bigger this time: tickets for the 2026 World Cup final are now priced 593% more than Qatar 2022.
What is the total prize pool of the 2026 World Cup?
FIFA has revealed that the 48 countries participating in the 2026 World Cup will share $655 million in prize money – up from the $440 million shared between 32 teams in 2022.
That money will be distributed unevenly based on performance, with the countries that dive deeper into the tournament taking home a much larger share.
The prize money will be paid to the national association of each country; for example, the FA will receive England’s prize money. It will be up to each national governing body to decide how much to pass on to the players and how much to invest in grassroots football and other initiatives.
How much prize money will the 2026 World Cup winners receive?
The winners of the 2026 World Cup will take home a check for 50 million dollars.
That’s $8 million more than Argentina set aside to win the 2022 World Cup and $12 million more than the 2018 champions France earned in Russia.
The losing finalists in 2026 will receive $33 million, while the 16 teams that fail to progress beyond the group stage will earn $9 million each, plus the $1.5 million payment given to all participating countries to cover preparation costs.
FootballBlog.co.uk recently simulated the entire 2026 World Cup, with England – who sit sixth in the all-time World Cup rankings – finishing in third place. Actually winning third place next summer would earn a team $29 million in prize money.
Distribution of the prize money for the 2026 World Cup
| Final position | Teams | Prize money | Total payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | 1 | $50 million | $50 million |
| 2nd place | 1 | $33 million | $33 million |
| 3rd place | 1 | $29 million | $29 million |
| 4th place | 1 | $27 million | $27 million |
| QF losers | 4 | $19 million | $76 million |
| R16 losers | 8 | $15 million | $120 million |
| R32 losers | 16 | $11 million | $176 million |
| Out in group stage | 16 | $9 million | $144 million |
| Total prize pool | 48 | — | $655 million |
The prize money for the 16 teams eliminated during the group stage remains unchanged from 2022.
However, the biggest increase comes from the $176 million paid to the 16 teams eliminated in the round of 32 – a stage that previously did not exist.
Losers in the round of 16 will earn $15 million in 2026 – $2 million more than in 2022 – while the increase for losing quarter-finalists will also be $2 million.
Breakdown of 2022 World Cup prize money
| Final position | Teams | Prize money | Total payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | 1 | $42 million | $42 million |
| 2nd place | 1 | $30 million | $30 million |
| 3rd place | 1 | $27 million | $27 million |
| 4th place | 1 | $25 million | $25 million |
| QF losers | 4 | $17 million | $68 million |
| R16 losers | 8 | $13 million | $104 million |
| Out in group stage | 16 | $9 million | $144 million |
| Total prize pool | 32 | — | $440 million |
How does the 2026 World Cup prize money compare to AFCON, Copa America and the European Championship?
The 2026 World Cup not only falls in the shadow of previous editions in terms of prize money, but also yields significantly more than the best continental tournaments in the world.
The biggest competitor is the European Championship. The total prize pool at Euro 2024 was €331 million, which equates to approximately $388.7 million.
The 2024 Copa America had a record prize pool in South America, but the total pot of $72 million was still around nine times smaller than that of the 2026 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations – which starts this week and ends on January 18 – has a total prize pool of $32 million.
| World Cup 2026 | AFCON 2025 | Euro 2024 | Copa America 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total prize pool | $655 million** | $32 million | $388.7 million | $72 million |
| Winner’s share | $50 million** | $7 million | $29.65 million* | $16 million |
| Second place | $33 million** | $4 million | $26.13 million* | $7 million |
| Minimum payout (even if a team loses every game) | $9 million** | $500,000 | $10.86 million | $2 million |
| * Euro 2024 teams also earned $1.17 million per win and $587,000 per draw during the group stage. | ||||
| **All 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup will also receive $1.5 million to cover preparation costs. | ||||
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