News

FIFA World Cup 2026 Prize Money Surges to $50 Million for Champions

20 Dec, 2025

Feature Image

FIFA has announced that the winning team of the 2026 World Cup will take home a record $50 million, marking a significant rise from the $42 million awarded in 2022 and $38 million in 2018. The tournament, set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will feature a total prize pool of $655 million, 50 percent higher than the last edition in Qatar.

The runner-up will receive $33 million, while third and fourth place finishers are set to earn $29 million and $27 million, respectively. Every participating nation will be allocated $1.5 million to cover preparation costs, with the minimum prize for teams set at $9 million. In total, FIFA plans to distribute $727 million among all football federations taking part.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the 2026 World Cup as “groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community.”

While the World Cup’s prize money has increased, it remains below the sums awarded at this year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which offered up to $125 million to the winners as part of a $1 billion total pool. The disparity reflects the differing financial structures of club and national teams, with clubs facing higher wage obligations.

Funds from the World Cup prize pool will also support global football development, with the specific distribution of bonuses among players determined by individual national federations.

Recommended For You

Feature Image

Supplementary estimates submitted for two defeated Ministries

The Government today presented a supplementary estimate to cover the expenses of the two Ministries of which the expenditure heads were defeated in Parliament last week during the committee stage debate of the 2019 budget. The expenditure heads of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Government were defeated in Parliament last week.

03 Apr, 2019

Feature Image

Rights group says executions will not end drug-related crime in Sri Lanka

Executions will not end drug-related crime in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International said today, in a new briefing that makes the case against President Maithripala Srisena?s plan to revive the death penalty 43 years after the last execution was carried out on the island. The briefing, ?Sri Lanka: Halt Preparations to Resume Executions?, highlights how the death penalty is being used in circumstances that violate international law and standards, has failed to act as a unique deterrent to crime in oth

03 Apr, 2019

Feature Image

Some refuse to take “Nazi style” salute despite Sirisena’s request

Some public servants had today refused to take a “Nazi style” salute to mark the launch of a drug prevention national programme by President Maithripala Sirisena. Taking to social media, some public servants said that they had received a letter from the President’s office requesting them to take the pledge today. However they said they refused to take the “Nazi style” salute. The drug prevention national programme titled ?Mathin Nidahas Ratak? programme was launched today by President Maithri

03 Apr, 2019