FIFA announced the prize money for the 2026 World Cup on December 17, 2025, noting that the total amount of $665m is a 50% increase from the 2022 World Cup. With the number of teams in the 2026 edition increasing from 32 to 48, most of that increase is due to the expanded field. Here is the prize money for the 2026 World Cup.
2026 World Cup prize money
| 1st-place | $50m |
| 2nd-place | $33m |
| 3rd-place | $29m |
| 4th-place | $27m |
| 5th-8th place | $19m |
| 9th-16th place | $15m |
| 17th-32nd place | $11m |
| 33rd-48th place | $9m |
Total FIFA World Cup prize money by tournament
| 2026 | $655m |
| 2022 | $440m |
| 2018 | $400m |
| 2014 | $358m |
| 2010 | $348m |
FIFA will also provide each of the participating nations with $1.5m each for preparation costs. Here is what that payment has looked like since the 2010 World Cup.
World Cup Preparation costs paid by FIFA per nation
| 2026 | $1.5m |
| 2022 | $1.5m |
| 2018 | $1.5m |
| 2014 | $1.5m |
| 2010 | $1m |
The total amount of money FIFA has allocated for the 2026 World Cup at $727m including prize money, preparation costs, payments to clubs for use of players, and insurance. Again, there are an extra 16 teams in the 2026 edition of the World Cup.
In 2022, the total amount of prize money not including participation costs was $440m, up from $400m for the 2018 tournament. Here is a breakdown of World Cup prize money by tournament, starting with the last 32-team tournament in 2022 through 2010.
2022 World Cup prize money
| 1st-place | $42m |
| 2nd-place | $30m |
| 3rd-place | $27m |
| 4th-place | $25m |
| 5th-8th place | $17m |
| 9th-16th place | $13m |
| 17th-32nd place | $9m |
2018 World Cup prize money
| 1st-place | $38m |
| 2nd-place | $28m |
| 3rd-place | $24m |
| 4th-place | $22m |
| 5th-8th place | $16m |
| 9th-16th place | $12m |
| 17th-32nd place | $8m |
2014 World Cup prize money
| 1st-place | $35m |
| 2nd-place | $25m |
| 3rd-place | $22m |
| 4th-place | $20m |
| 5th-8th place | $14m |
| 9th-16th place | $9m |
| 17th-32nd place | $8m |
2010 World Cup prize money
| 1st-place | $30m |
| 2nd-place | $24m |
| 3rd-place | $20m |
| 4th-place | $18m |
| 5th-8th place | $14m |
| 9th-16th place | $9m |
| 17th-32nd place | $8m |
World Cup prize money percentage increases
1st-place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase from Previous |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $30m | — |
| 2014 | $35m | +16.67% |
| 2018 | $38m | +8.57% |
| 2022 | $42m | +10.53% |
| 2026 | $50m | +19.05% |
2nd-place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $24m | — |
| 2014 | $25m | +4.17% |
| 2018 | $28m | +12.00% |
| 2022 | $30m | +7.14% |
| 2026 | $33m | +10.00% |
3rd-place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $20m | — |
| 2014 | $22m | +10.00% |
| 2018 | $24m | +9.09% |
| 2022 | $27m | +12.50% |
| 2026 | $29m | +7.41% |
4th-place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $18m | — |
| 2014 | $20m | +11.11% |
| 2018 | $22m | +10.00% |
| 2022 | $25m | +13.64% |
| 2026 | $27m | +8.00% |
5th-8th place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $14m | — |
| 2014 | $14m | 0% |
| 2018 | $16m | +14.29% |
| 2022 | $17m | +6.25% |
| 2026 | $19m | +11.76% |
9th-16th place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $9m | — |
| 2014 | $9m | 0% |
| 2018 | $12m | +33.33% |
| 2022 | $13m | +8.33% |
| 2026 | $15m | +15.38% |
17th -32nd place
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $8m | — |
| 2014 | $8m | 0% |
| 2018 | $8m | 0% |
| 2022 | $9m | +12.50% |
| 2026 | $11m | +22.22% |
33rd–48th Place (New in 2026)
| Tournament | Amount | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $9m | — (new tier) |
Total prize money increases by World Cup
| Tournament | Total Prize Pool | % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $348m | — |
| 2014 | $358m | +2.87% |
| 2018 | $400m | +11.73% |
| 2022 | $440m | +10.00% |
| 2026 | $655m | +48.86% |
