How Much Each Team Made at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup had a huge prize fund of $871 million (£662 million). This made it the richest tournament ever in the history of the competition.

FIFA first announced a prize pool of $727 million (£552 million). This was already a 50 percent rise from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to a December report on the FIFA website.

In April, FIFA decided to raise the base prize money and preparation fees. This brought the total prize fund up to $871 million.

The prize money was split into two parts: performance-based rewards and non-performance-based support.

PUNCH Online reported that the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup started on June 11, 2026, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament ended on Sunday, July 19, with Spain beating defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. This win gave Spain their second World Cup title.

A day before the final, on Saturday, July 18, England won against France 6-4 in the third-place playoff. This meant England took home the bronze medal, while France finished fourth.

In the Round of 16, Morocco, France, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, and Switzerland moved on to the quarter-finals. They won against Canada, Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, the United States, Egypt, and Colombia respectively.

The tournament ran for 39 days, included 48 teams, and had 104 matches, making it the biggest FIFA World Cup ever.

Performance-based Prize Money

Teams earned more money depending on how far they went in the tournament.

Here’s the breakdown:

Champions: $51 million (£38 million)

Runners-up: $34 million (£25 million)

Third place: $30 million (£22 million)

Fourth place: $28 million (£20 million)

Quarter-finalists (5th-8th): $20 million (£14 million)

Round of 16 (9th-16th): $16 million (£11 million)

17th-32nd place: $12 million (£8 million)

33rd-48th place: $10 million (£7 million)

These performance-related payments made up $703 million of the total prize money.

Guaranteed Payments for All Teams

The other $168 million was shared equally among all 48 teams, no matter how they performed in the tournament.

Each team received:

Preparation funding: $2.5 million

Additional team contributions: Over $16 million shared among participating nations

With the minimum $10 million participation payment for teams finishing between 33rd and 48th, every nation was assured of at least $12.5 million for taking part in the tournament.

FIFA explained that the preparation funding helps cover costs like training camps and travel. The additional contributions help with delegation, logistics, administrative, and ticketing costs, aiming to lessen financial gaps among the teams.

Background

FIFA confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup had a prize fund of $871 million, the largest ever in the tournament's history.

Initially, FIFA announced a prize pool of $727 million in December 2025, which was already a 50 percent increase from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They then approved a further increase in April 2026, raising the base participation payment and preparation fee.

The prize money was divided between performance-based rewards and non-performance-based support. The champions got $51 million, runners-up received $34 million, and third-place finishers earned $30 million, while fourth place got $28 million.

Quarter-finalists each received $20 million, those knocked out in the Round of 16 collected $16 million, teams finishing 17th to 32nd earned $12 million, and teams placed 33rd to 48th received $10 million.

Every participating nation also got a $2.5 million preparation grant to assist with pre-tournament costs like training camps and travel.

FIFA also provided extra financial help for delegation, logistics, administrative, and ticketing costs, ensuring that every team was guaranteed at least $12.5 million for being part of the tournament.