The 2026 FIFA World Cup has set another major record, not only as the largest tournament in the competition’s history but also for offering the biggest prize fund ever awarded by FIFA.
Last December, FIFA confirmed that a total of $655 million would be distributed among all 48 participating nations. Every team will receive a share of the prize money, with payments ranging from $9 million to $50 million based on how far they progressed in the tournament.
England secured third place after defeating France 6-4 on Saturday, earning $29 million in prize money. France, which finished fourth, will take home $27 million.
The United States men’s national team collected $16 million after reaching the Round of 16. Under the collective bargaining agreements signed in 2022 between U.S. Soccer and both the men’s and women’s national teams, the prize money is shared between the two squads.
According to the agreement, 80 percent of the World Cup earnings is divided equally among players from both the men’s and women’s World Cup squads, with each eligible player receiving $246,153.85. The remaining 20 percent goes to U.S. Soccer. The women’s team must still qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup before benefiting from the arrangement.
The prize money for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is distributed as follows.
The champions will receive $50 million, with Spain or Argentina set to claim the top prize depending on the final result.
The runners up will earn $33 million, with either Spain or Argentina taking home that amount.
The third placed team receives $29 million, awarded to England after its victory over France.
The fourth placed side, France, will collect $27 million.
Teams that finished between fifth and eighth place will each receive $19 million. Those countries are Norway, Belgium, Morocco and Switzerland.
Nations placed between ninth and sixteenth will earn $15 million each. They include Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the United States, Portugal, Canada, Egypt and Paraguay.
Countries that finished from seventeenth to thirty second place will receive $11 million each. They are the Netherlands, Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Japan, Australia, DR Congo, Ghana, Ecuador, South Africa, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Algeria, Senegal and Cabo Verde.
Teams placed between thirty third and forty eighth will each collect $9 million. Those nations are Iran, South Korea, Türkiye, Scotland, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Czechia, New Zealand, Qatar, Curaçao, Panama, Jordan, Haiti, Uzbekistan, Tunisia and Iraq.
In addition to the performance based rewards, every one of the 48 participating teams received $1.5 million to help cover preparation costs before the tournament began.
The growth in World Cup prize money has been remarkable over the years. Argentina earned $42 million for lifting the trophy in Qatar in 2022 after defeating France in the final. Before that, France received $38 million for winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Since FIFA began publicly disclosing World Cup prize payments, the winners’ reward has increased dramatically, rising from $2.2 million awarded to Italy after the 1982 tournament to a record $50 million for the champions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
