The 2026 FIFA World Cup, expanded to 48 teams, will carry sharply higher prize money, with the champion set to receive $50 million. That is a 19% increase from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Argentina collected $42 million.
According to the financial sports site Sportec, the runner-up will get $33 million, while the third-place team will earn $29 million and fourth place $27 million. Teams reaching the quarterfinals will receive $19 million, the round of 16 will be worth $15 million, and clubs eliminated in the round of 32 will still take home $11 million.
The report also says teams that fail to advance from the group stage will receive $9 million. It notes that in earlier World Cups, teams knocked out in the group stage were paid less.
The article adds that if the winner’s $50 million were divided equally among a 26-player squad, each player would get about $1.92 million, though in practice the national federation decides how the money is split. In many cases, most of the prize remains with the federation and is used to develop domestic football.
