FIFA Announces Record Prize Money for the 2026 World Cup

World football governing body FIFA has announced a record-breaking prize pool for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

According to FIFA, a total of USD 655 million (approximately PKR 183 billion) will be distributed as prize money during the 2026 World Cup. In comparison, the total prize money for the 2022 World Cup stood at USD 440 million.

Under the announced structure, the champions of the 2026 World Cup will receive USD 50 million, up from USD 42 million in the previous edition. The runners-up will be awarded USD 33 million, while the third-placed team will receive USD 29 million and the fourth-placed team will earn USD 27 million.

Teams finishing fifth to eighth will receive USD 19 million each, while those placed ninth to sixteenth will earn USD 15 million. Teams finishing seventeenth to thirty-second will be awarded USD 11 million each, and those ranked thirty-third to forty-eighth will receive USD 9 million per team.

In addition, every team that qualifies for the World Cup will receive an extra USD 1.5 million from FIFA to support tournament preparations.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and will feature 48 teams for the first time in the tournament’s history.