FIFA have announced a huge 75 per cent increase to their Club Benefit Programme that pays clubs for releasing their players during the World Cup internationals. The new amount now sits at $355million [£290million] to distribute across the globe as preparations begin for the 2026 version of the tournament.
The competition is set to be hosted in north America between Canada, Mexico and the United States, boasting an expanded format from 30 teams to 48. This will increase the number of matches from 64 to 104, with the change resulting in the inflation of the programme designed to incentivise the release of players for international games.
Over the course of the previous World Cup in November and December of last year, a number of teams received compensation in the millions for their squad's involvement. The Daily Mail reports that Manchester City benefitted the most with as much as £4.5million hitting their pockets through their 16 players on duty.
