The FIFA World Cup trophy is on display at MetLife Stadium before the FIFA World Cup Final on July 15, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Jordan Bank – FIFA | FIFA | Getty Images
The World Cup winner will lift the trophy for the first time, receive championship rings and achieve lifelong glory, marking a defining moment in the country’s sporting history. This will also lead to a significant salary.
The World Cup winner earns $51 million. Second prize: $34 million.
FIFA has increased payouts for the 2026 World Cup, setting a record with a total payout of $871 million to the 48 participating teams. That figure includes more than $100 million that was added in April after some federations in Europe lobbied to help cover the costs of the three-nation tournament, which required significant travel and accommodation expenses.
$51 million is a large sum for Argentina or Spain, but it pales in comparison to the fortunes spent on world football. It was also less than last year’s Club World Cup winner earned at the tournament, which was also held in the United States.
By comparison, the $51 million the winner received was less than what English club Brighton paid on Tuesday for the 19-year-old defender who spent much of the World Cup on the bench, Croatian Luka Vuškovic.
Here’s what you need to know about the World Cup prize pools:
All teams get paid
FIFA pays money to the 48 national federations in two categories: prize bonuses based on how far each team gets in the tournament, and general payments to cover training and preparation costs.
All 48 players will receive at least $12.5 million for their participation in the World Cup, including $10 million in prize money for qualifying and playing in the group stage. Each will receive $2.5 million for pre-tournament preparations and expenses. This advance payment was agreed upon at past World Cups to help avoid tensions before the tournament, with players often claiming bonuses had not been paid by their federation.
The prize pool increases depending on how far the teams progress.
Higher amounts will come after federation requirements
Some federations, particularly those in Europe, have told FIFA that the prize money structure and payment of preparation costs set last year will result in them losing money at the tournament if their teams do not advance deep into the knockout rounds.
French federation president Philippe Diallo told sports newspaper L’Equipe that for months he had been drawing the attention of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to the fact that World Cup teams were not being properly remunerated compared to what Club World Cup winner Chelsea received a year ago. It was $115 million after FIFA had to promise a nine-figure reward that convinced storied European clubs to take part in the revamped tournament.
World Cup teams playing games in the United States also face some tax liabilities that are exempt in Canada and Mexico.
World Cup champion gets big money
The eventual champion will receive $51 million, compared to the $42 million the Argentine federation will receive for winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The total prize fund for this 32-team tournament was $440 million.
Here’s what everyone else gets:
Second place: $34 million.
Third place (England): $30 million.
Fourth place (France): $28 million.
Quarterfinalists (fifth to eighth): $20 million each.
Round of 16 (ninth to 16th): $16 million each.
Round of 16 (17 to 32): $12 million each.
Group stage (33rd to 48th): $10 million each.
Flights and hotels covered
In addition to the payout amounts and according to World Cup regulations, FIFA is already required to pay for return business class air tickets for each federation to travel to the tournament, as well as food and accommodation for the 50-member delegation that includes the players. Hotel fees begin five nights before a team’s first game and one night after departure.
FIFA will also cover domestic travel costs for up to 50 delegation members, as well as “a dedicated fleet of vehicles, including an equipment truck.”
Football federations of World Cup teams must pay for “adequate insurance… including, but not limited to, injuries, accidents, illness and travel,” plus “incidental living expenses” and accommodation for additional delegation members.
World Cup Trophy
The greatest honor, of course, is the World Cup trophy.
A general view of a drone show over New York Harbor showing the World Cup trophy in front of the Lower Manhattan skyline at Liberty State Park on July 17, 2026 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Maja Hitij – FIFA | FIFA | Getty Images
On Sunday, the champions will celebrate after the final whistle during the medal ceremony. The original trophy is not awarded forever. Instead, winners will receive a gold-plated copy to keep.
When it comes to World Cup prize money, FIFA pays it to the federations, not the players. How they manage the money depends on the rules of each federation.
For example: American football will receive 20% of the prize money. The remaining 80% that the U.S. men’s national soccer team will receive will be split equally between the men’s and women’s teams following the signing of a landmark 2022 agreement on equal pay for the men’s and women’s teams, making the U.S. national governing body the first in the sport to promise both genders the same money.
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