There is exactly one month left until the official start of the World Cup 2026and the main international men’s soccer tournament for national teams is already beginning to be felt on a global scale, especially in the territory of Canada, Mexico and the USAvenues for the championship that will reveal the next world champion.
Therefore, the countdown for the World Cup 2026 officially entered its final phase and, one month after the openingthe International Association Football Federation (FIFA) detailed the economic structure of the contest, which this year raises its total prize pool to US$871 millionamount that will be distributed among the 48 classified.
According to what was stated by the American television network CNN, this figure reflects significant commercial growth and exceeds 50% the budget of the previous edition in Qatar 2022. Therefore, the World Cup with more participants and greater number of matches in history will also be the one more money will distribute
Given the circumstances, of all that money, US$1 million will go to each qualified team to cover the costs of preparing for the tournament, and the rest will be distributed according to the final position of each team in the World Cup, which will begin on Thursday, June 11 with the match between Mexico and South Korea, in Mexico City.
Money for the World Cup champion
According to the American television channel TUDNthe champion of the 2026 World Cup will receive US$50 million (Q381 million 640 thousand), an increase of US$8 million compared to the US$42 million charged by the selection of Argentina for winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after beating France during the penalty shootout.
The runner-up will receive US$33 millionwhile the teams that reach third and fourth place will receive US$29 million and US$27 millionrespectively. Therefore, the breakdown guarantees tiered payments for all levels of competence, including US$9 million for countries that do not exceed the group stage.
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Faced with this scenario, the 2026 World Cup final will be the match with the greatest difference economic between what the champion will receive and what the runner-up will receive in the entire history of the tournament, because the figure has never been reached before. Therefore, the 48 nations will try to advance their teams as far as possible.
- Quarter finals: US$19 million (Q145 million)
- Round of 16: US$15 million (Q114 million 492 thousand)
- Round of 32: US$11 million (Q83 million 960 thousand)
Compensation for clubs
On the other hand, FIFA also decided to increase the funds allocated to the institutions that contribute footballers to the World Cup. In this way, the International Association Football Federation will distribute US$355 million among all the clubswhich represents an increase of 70% regarding the figure for Taste in it 2022.
However, this will be defined next Saturday May 30because that is the deadline to present the official squad lists for the World Cup, in which each team must choose a total of 26 footballers who will represent their nation in the tournament, hoping to write their names with golden letters.