FIFA has thrown football into uncharted financial territory after confirming a staggering $727 million prize pool for the 2026 World Cup, instantly turning the tournament into the richest cash grab in football history.

The record-breaking decision was sealed on December 17 when the FIFA Council met in Doha ahead of the Intercontinental Cup finals, using the gathering not only to rubber-stamp money matters but also to reassert control over global football development.

Buoyed by the buzz from the finals draw in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 2025, FIFA approved the massive financial injection to support the expanded 48-team format, silencing critics who feared the new structure would dilute value.

A jaw-dropping $655 million of the total fund will go directly to prize money, marking a 50 per cent leap from the last edition and ensuring even early exits still cash in heavily.

The eventual champions will pocket $50 million, while beaten finalists take home $33 million, a consolation prize still larger than what past winners earned.

Third and fourth place teams will earn $29 million and $27 million, while quarter-finalists receive $19 million, making even “failure” financially rewarding.

Sides knocked out between ninth and sixteenth will collect $15 million, while teams ranked seventeenth to thirty-second walk away with $11 million.

Even the weakest performers are not left empty-handed, with teams finishing thirty-third to forty-eighth guaranteed $9 million.

On top of performance rewards, each country will receive $1.5 million in preparation funding, ensuring no participant leaves broke.

In total, every nation is guaranteed at least $10.5 million, a figure FIFA President Gianni Infantino says proves the organisation is serious about “reinvesting” World Cup wealth, though critics may call it football’s most expensive carrot yet.