FIFA has announced that it will distribute a record $355 million to clubs releasing players for the 2026 World Cup, representing a 70 percent increase from the $209 million paid out during the 2022 edition in Qatar. The enhanced benefit scheme, unveiled on Tuesday, underscores the governing body’s recognition of the crucial role clubs play in the global football ecosystem.
The 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the first expanded World Cup with 48 teams instead of 32. Under the revised Club Benefits Programme, financial compensation will also extend to clubs whose players take part in the qualifying rounds but do not eventually feature in the final tournament.
According to FIFA, the 2022 programme reached 440 clubs across 51 member associations, providing funds to reward clubs for releasing players to represent their countries. The governing body believes the new framework will ensure even broader participation, reflecting the vast pool of clubs that contribute talent to both qualifiers and the final competition.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino described the initiative as a landmark improvement. “The enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament,” he said.
The agreement was reached in partnership with the European Club Association (ECA), which represents the interests of professional football clubs. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, ECA chairman and president of Paris Saint-Germain, emphasised the importance of the scheme. “Clubs play a pivotal role in the success of national team football, and this initiative recognises every element of it, from early development through to release for the most important games,” he noted.
Analysts view the increased payout as both a response to long-standing pressure from clubs and an effort to strengthen cooperation between FIFA and domestic leagues. For years, clubs have argued that they shoulder significant financial and physical risks when releasing players for international duty, often without sufficient compensation.
The expanded funding is also expected to provide a major boost for smaller and mid-level clubs worldwide, many of which rely heavily on academy products or developing talent that ends up representing their national teams. By rewarding their contributions, FIFA hopes to ease tensions that sometimes arise between club and country obligations.
With the largest World Cup in history less than a year away, the new scheme highlights FIFA’s commitment to sharing the tournament’s financial benefits more equitably. For clubs across the globe, the programme signals not only recognition but also tangible support for their indispensable role in the success of international football.
