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FIFA World Cup: The Football World Cup—one of the biggest events in the sporting world—is set to kick off on June 11 (late night on June 12, Indian Standard Time). The tournament, featuring 48 teams, is being jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico. For the 2026 edition, the 48 teams have been divided into 12 groups of four; the matches of this 39-day mega-event will be played across 16 venues, totaling 104 matches, including the final. Ahead of the tournament, FIFA has announced the prize pool, which reflects an increase of approximately 50% compared ( 50% Increase) to the previous edition.
FIFA Announces Total Prize Pool of ₹6,241 Crore
The prize pool announced by FIFA for the 2026 Football World Cup shows a massive increase, totaling 655 million US dollars—equivalent to ₹6,241 crore at current exchange rates—marking a 50% rise. The team that wins the World Cup trophy will receive 50 million US dollars (₹476 crore), while the runner-up will be awarded 33 million US dollars (₹314 crore). Additionally, FIFA will provide prize money to all participating teams; even the team finishing in 48th place will take home ₹86 crore. All qualifying teams will receive $10 million for qualification. In addition to prize money awarded based on their final standing in the World Cup, all participating teams will receive $10 million (USD) from FIFA for qualifying. When these amounts are combined, the total expenditure reaches approximately ₹8,299 crore. Apart from the winner and runner-up, the team finishing third will receive ₹276 crore, while the fourth-placed team will get ₹257 crore from FIFA. Each team finishing between 5th and 8th place will receive ₹181 crore. Teams finishing between 9th and 16th place will receive ₹143 crore, while those finishing between 17th and 32nd place will get ₹105 crore. Finally, each team finishing between 33rd and the last spot (48th place) will receive ₹86 crore from FIFA.
