2026 Men's World Cup winner will be awarded record $50 million US, FIFA announces

The 2026 World Cup champion will take home a record $50 million US, with each of the 48 participating teams collecting at least $10.5 million.

That figure is up from $42 million in 2022 and $38 million in 2018. But it is still less than half of what was on offer at the much less-hyped Club World Cup earlier this year.

World soccer's governing body said the total prize fund for the World Cup, staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico, was $655 million, 50 per cent increase on the previous edition in Qatar

The FIFA Council, meeting ahead of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final in Doha, Qatar, announced a record $727 million will be distributed through the expanded sport 104-game showcase.

Some $655 million of that will be paid out as prize money among the 48 participating teams.

The runner-up will collect $33 million, with the third-place side picking up $29 million and the fourth-place finisher $27 million. The prize money dips to $9 million for teams finishing 33rd to 48th.

In addition, each qualified team will receive $1.5 million to cover preparation costs.

The announcement comes in the wake of widespread criticism of FIFA for inflated ticket prices at the tournament co-hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the World Cup would be "groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community."

Some ticket prices drop for Canadian World Cup games after schedule released | Hanomansing Tonight