FIFA lifts World Cup payouts to US$871 million amid team cost concerns

VANCOUVER, Canada (AFP) — FIFA on Tuesday confirmed a substantial lift in the pool of money flowing to participating nations at this year's World Cup, with cash distributions climbing to almost US$900 million amid mounting unease about the rising costs of competing.

In a statement, the global governing body said the total purse linked to the tournament — co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States — would now reach US$871 million. That figure replaces the US$727 million projection put forward in December.

The revised numbers were unveiled after FIFA's ruling council met in the lead-up to the organisation's Congress, which is scheduled for Thursday in Vancouver.

The upward revision follows reports that several member associations had flagged worries that travel bills, taxation and general operating outlays might leave them out of pocket once the competition wraps up.

To address those complaints, FIFA has lifted the preparation allowance from US$1.5 million to US$2.5 million for each of the 48 teams that have booked their place. The payment tied simply to qualifying for the finals has also been nudged up, moving from US$9 million to US$10 million per nation.

Additional support for delegation expenses and a larger ticket allocation for participating squads round out the revised package.

"FIFA is proud to be in its most solid financial position ever, enabling us to help all our member associations in an unprecedented way," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. "This is one more example of how FIFA's resources are reinvested back into the game."

The organisation is forecast to bring in roughly US$13 billion across the current four-year World Cup cycle, which closes out with this year's tournament — the biggest edition the competition has ever staged.

Prize money for 2026, disclosed last year, already represented a 50 per cent jump on the sums distributed at the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Under the previously released breakdown, the eventual champions will pocket US$50 million, while the losing finalists collect US$33 million. The third-placed nation is set to bank US$29 million, with the fourth-placed team taking home US$27 million.