Winning the World Cup isn't about the money but the competition itself becomes more lucrative for everybody but the fans and the host nations every four years.
World Cup winners are football immortals. That's the real prize on offer. Yet, with billions of dollars zipping around the sport's global flagship competition, the matter of World Cup prize money isn't without significance.
Indeed, with World Cup 2026 just around the corner, the FIFA Council has approved a substantial boost to its prize pot.
How much money does the World Cup winner receive?
Soon after the announcement of FIFA's window-dressing in the form of a limited number of affordable tickets for matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2025, football's governing body ratified increased prize money for World Cup 2026.
The FIFA Council met in Qatar, naturally, and agreed that $727 million will be distributed around the world's football federations, of which $655 million will be shared among the 48 nations participating at the World Cup finals.
That's a 50 percent increase on the World Cup revenue sharing total in 2022, according to the governing body, and it guarantees every competing federation a minimum of $10.5 million.
That minimum comprises $9 million given to each team finishing between 33rd and 48th in the tournament and the $1.5 million per team contribution towards participation costs, according to The Guardian.
The next group of teams (17th to 32nd) will be awarded $11 million, followed by $15 million for losing sides in the last 16, $19 million for losing quarter-finalists, $27 million for the fourth-placed team and $29 million for the nation finishing third.
The losing finalists will be awarded $33 million in prize money while the winners will return home with a nice, round $50 million burning a hole in the back pocket of their federation.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed the increased distribution fund as 'groundbreaking'.
These are impressive sums of money but we can be sure that the likes of Lionel Messi, Joshua Kimmich, Kylian Mbappe, Alvaro Morata, Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo won't mention money once when asked about their motivations and aspirations between now and the opening ceremony.
World Cup 2026 will take place in June and July in 16 stadiums around the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Last time the World Cup was played in the CONCACAF confederation was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed over Italy in the final, they pocketed $4.5m.
