FIFA Approves Record Financial Support at Doha Council Meeting
Prize Pool Increases by 50% Compared to 2022 Qatar World Cup
Korea to Earn Over 30 Billion Won if Reaching Quarterfinals
The 2026 North American World Cup, which will see a dramatic increase in participating nations from 32 to 48, is set to become the largest "money feast" in the tournament's history. On December 18, Yonhap News reported that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) held a council meeting in Doha, Qatar, and approved a record-high financial support package of 727 million dollars (approximately 1.0743 trillion won) for the 2026 World Cup.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, unveiling the match schedule for the 2026 North American World Cup held on the 6th in Washington DC, USA. Photo by Xinhua News Agency
The largest portion of this financial support is the total prize money of 655 million dollars (about 968 billion won) to be distributed among the 48 participating countries. This amount marks a 50% increase compared to the previous record set at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The total prize pool for the Qatar World Cup was 440 million dollars, which itself was a 10% increase from the 2018 Russia tournament. FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized, "The North American World Cup will be a groundbreaking event in terms of financial contributions to the global football community."
In this tournament, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, the champion will receive both the honor of being crowned "World Champion" and a prize of 50 million dollars (about 73.9 billion won). The runner-up will be awarded 33 million dollars, third place will receive 29 million dollars, and fourth place will get 27 million dollars. Teams reaching the quarterfinals will receive 19 million dollars, those advancing to the round of 16 will get 15 million dollars, and countries making it to the round of 32 after the group stage will be awarded 11 million dollars. Even teams eliminated after playing just three group stage matches will receive 9 million dollars. In addition, all participating countries will receive a separate 1.5 million dollars to cover tournament preparation costs.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, awarded the FIFA Peace Award to Donald Trump, President of the United States, at the 2026 FIFA World Cup group draw held on the 5th at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. Photo by UPI Yonhap News
As a result, simply qualifying for the North American World Cup finals guarantees each team at least 10.5 million dollars (about 15.5 billion won). If the Korean national team, led by coach Hong Myungbo, achieves its goal of reaching the quarterfinals-its best-ever result at an away World Cup-it will earn a total of 20.5 million dollars (about 30.4 billion won), combining the 19 million dollars in prize money with the 1.5 million dollars in preparation costs.
Meanwhile, for the first time under the 48-nation format, the World Cup will feature 12 groups of four teams each in the group stage. The top two teams from each group (24 teams), along with the eight best-performing third-place teams, will advance to the knockout stage, making a total of 32 teams in the tournament phase. The Korean squad, managed by Hong Myungbo, has been placed in Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa, and the winner of the European Playoff Group D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, or Ireland).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
