The 2026 FIFA World Cup is not only the biggest stage in football for players and national teams, but also an important source of income for clubs that contribute to the tournament by releasing their players. With a total fund of $355 million, FIFA confirmed that before the end of 2026 it will make payments to clubs that provided players both during the qualification process and the final tournament.
The initiative is part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Club Benefits Programme, which for the first time includes financial compensation for clubs that released players during the preliminary qualification phase. The mechanism seeks to recognize the fundamental role clubs play in developing and preparing the players who go on to represent their countries on football’s biggest stage.
How the $355 Million Will Be Distributed
The new programme establishes specific criteria for determining compensation. Clubs that released players for World Cup qualifying matches will receive $2,362 per player per match, while for the final tournament a minimum payment of $5,000 per player per day has been set. However, FIFA clarified that the final amounts will be calculated once the tournament concludes, taking into account each player’s actual participation during the competition.
Of the total amount allocated to the programme, $100 million will go to clubs that indirectly participated in the qualification phase by releasing players, while another $250 million will be distributed among clubs whose players take part in the World Cup finals. The remaining $5 million will be used to support club football development after administrative costs associated with running the programme are deducted, in accordance with the agreement reached between the European Club Football (EFC) organization and FIFA.
The Rules That Will Determine Who Receives the Payments
FIFA has also established a series of provisions for special situations that commonly occur during international tournaments. These include cases involving replacement players, footballers who change clubs during the release period, and those whose contracts expire while the World Cup is being played. In the case of replacement players, both the newly called-up players and those they replace will be included in the programme, allowing the clubs involved to benefit from the corresponding compensation.
Additionally, if a player is transferred or registered with a new club during the release period, the financial benefits associated with that player will be divided proportionally between the former and the new club according to the relevant registration dates. When a player’s contract expires during the competition, the former club will retain the right to receive payments only until the contract’s expiration date. FIFA also emphasized that the payments are intended exclusively for clubs, while national associations will act solely as intermediaries in redistributing the funds, which must be transferred without undue delay and subject only to the applicable tax deductions.
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