How many millions will the 2026 World Cup champion win

The 2026 World Cup is starting to take shape long before the ball starts rolling. With months to go until the start of the tournament to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, FIFA has made official the economic figures that will be distributed among the participating teams, confirming an unprecedented scenario in the history of the World Cup.

The organization chaired by Gianni Infantino confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will have an economic prize pool exceeding 600 million euros, setting a new absolute record.

A historic soccer World Cup also in economic terms

FIFA World Cup 2026 Official draw match schedule

The 2026 edition will be the first with 48 teams, a structural change that has forced FIFA to redefine the prize system. Just for participating, each team will be guaranteed a minimum income of 9 million euros, a figure unprecedented until now.

This amount is composed of a fixed participation bonus of 1.5 million and a minimum of 7.5 million based on final position, even for selections eliminated in the initial phase. FIFA's intention is to reinforce the tournament's economic impact on smaller federations as well.

2026 World Cup Prize Distribution

The economic distribution increases progressively according to sporting performance. These are the official amounts each team will receive based on their final classification:

• Champion: 43 million euros

  Runner-up: 28 million euros

  Third place: 24 million euros

  Fourth place: 23 million euros

  5th to 8th place: 16 million euros

  9th to 16th place: 13 million euros

  17th to 32nd place: 9 million euros

  33rd to 48th place: 7.5 million euros

These figures confirm the tournament's economic leap and consolidate the World Cup as the most lucrative event in international national team football.

The World Champion, facing the biggest prize in history

The team that lifts the trophy on July 19, 2026 will pocket 43 million euros, the highest prize ever awarded in a World Cup. It even surpasses the haul achieved by Argentina in Qatar 2022, which took home 42 million after conquering the title.

Further back are the prizes won by France in Russia 2018 (38 million) or by Spain in South Africa 2010, when the World Cup triumph translated into a figure significantly lower than the current one.

1. Argentina: 42 million euros in Qatar 2022
2. France: 38 million in Russia 2018
3. Germany: 35 million in Brazil 2014
4. Spain: 30 million in South Africa 2010

In total, FIFA has allocated around **620 million euros** to the 2026 World Cup, of which **558 million** will go directly to the 48 participating teams. An unprecedented economic deployment that reinforces the historic nature of a **World Cup** set to mark a before and after in global football.