Soccer’s world governing body has pledged to increase funding for the tournament to cover participation costs.
Published April 27, 2026
FIFA said it was in talks with national football associations to increase prize money for all 48 teams participating in the World Cup.
In response to European teams’ requests for increased prize money and assistance with expenses associated with their participation in this summer’s World Cup, the world governing body announced on Sunday that it stands ready to grant these requests.
The proposal must be approved by the FIFA Executive Board on Tuesday, ahead of the 76th FIFA General Assembly in Vancouver, Canada.
In December, FIFA announced a record total prize pool of $727 million for the World Cup, with the winner receiving $50 million and each team receiving at least $10.5 million. Since the announcement in December, FIFA and national associations have been in talks to try to resolve the issue.
UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, contacted FIFA after hearing from several member associations about the cost of participating in the World Cup, which includes travel, administration and taxes, among other things, in the United States. Canada and Mexico are other host countries.
FIFA said the prize money on offer will continue to increase, with the world governing body forecasting revenue to exceed $11 billion in the current four-year cycle from 2023 to 2026.
“FIFA can confirm that FIFA is in discussions with associations around the world to increase available revenue,” a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters.
“This includes proposed increased funding for all teams that qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as increased development funding available to all 211 member associations.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be a milestone in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community. FIFA is proud to be in the strongest financial position in history to benefit world football through the FIFA Forward Programme.”
The largest portion of FIFA’s initial funding package for the North American showpiece ($655 million) was to be a performance-based payout to the 48 participating countries.
In addition, each eligible country will receive $1.5 million to cover preparation costs.
According to FIFA’s 2025 annual report, 93 percent of the total budgeted revenue has already been signed by the end of 2025, due to the success of the first 32-team Club World Cup held in the United States last year.
The World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th.
