FIFA is distributing $1.2 billion amongst national teams and the club sector

The most significant figure, in symbolic terms, is the final one: the 50 million awarded to the champions represents the highest payout ever, an increase of 8 million compared with the 42 received by Argentina in 2022.

If we look beyond the prize money awarded directly to the federations, another key figure emerges: the 2026 World Cup will see total redistribution exceed one billion dollars.

Alongside the 871 million earmarked for national teams, FIFA has in fact established a further financial pillar: the Club Benefits Programme, which provides a further 355 million dollars for clubs.

It is the formal recognition of an economic reality: human capital – the players – is developed and remunerated by the clubs, whilst the sporting and commercial value of the World Cup is derived from the national teams.

The compensation mechanism for clubs is therefore one of the most significant elements of FIFA’s new structure. For the 2023–2026 cycle, a total fund of 355 million dollars is earmarked (up 70 per cent on the 209 million dollars allocated in 2022). In fact, $250 million is earmarked for the tournament’s final phase, whilst $100 million has already been distributed for the qualifying rounds.

The real innovation lies precisely in the extension to the qualifying matches: for the first time, FIFA is remunerating the club ecosystem throughout the entire World Cup cycle, not just during the final phase.

In practical terms, payment is made on a daily basis per player selected and throughout the entire tournament period (from approximately 10 days before the tournament until the team is eliminated).

Estimates suggest: at least $5,000 per day per player, with peaks estimated at around $10,000–11,000 per day. In total terms, this works out at around $160,000–250,000 for a player eliminated in the group stages and up to $500,000–700,000 for those who reach the final.

For Europe’s top clubs, with 10–15 players called up, this represents revenue running into millions. For small and medium-sized clubs, however, it can be a significant item in the balance sheet, capable of funding sporting and infrastructure activities.

A comparison with the past therefore reveals a clear transformation: in 2022, FIFA distributed 209 million to clubs, with an average payment of around 10,950 dollars per player per day.

Today, the system is broader and more inclusive: more teams (48), more matches (104), more clubs involved and more levels of remuneration

In short, it is the shift from a ‘vertical’ redistribution – with federations at the centre – to a more horizontal approach that involves the entire football value chain. In a system increasingly characterised by tension between national team football and club football, FIFA is thus attempting to redistribute support and wealth.

The result is an ecosystem in which the World Cup is no longer merely the most prestigious tournament on the planet, but increasingly a global economic platform that generates revenue, redistributes it and – above all – uses it as a lever for governance.