The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on. Each day ahead of the tournament's return to North America, Yahoo Sports will bring you an insight or moment that helps explain how the world's biggest sporting event became what it is today.
The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on. Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will bring you an insight or moment that helps explain how the world’s biggest sporting event became what it is today.
The winner of the 2026 World Cup will take home a record $50 million in prize money.
The tournament will see a $727 million total fund with $655 million of that amount to be shared among the 48 qualified nations, the largest field in World Cup history. Teams that are eliminated in the group stage will leave with $9 million, while the runners-up in the final will take home $33 million.
World Cup 2026 prize pool
Champions: $50 million
Runners-up: $33 million
3rd place: $29 million
4th place: $27 million
5th-8th place: $19 million
9th-16th place: $15 million
17th- 32nd place: $11 million
33rd-48th place: $9 million
In 2022, World Cup winners Argentina received $42 million after defeating France in the final. Four years earlier, France earned $38 million after beating Croatia for the trophy at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Since FIFA began making the amount of prize money handed out public, the total amount given to the winners has grown from $2.2 million to Italy at the 1982 World Cup to the $50 million to whoever lifts the trophy at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Category: General Sports
