Soccer’s major nations have announced record firsts in the event of success at the World Cup being played in Canada, Mexico and the USA. On the other hand, FIFA will also give substantial bonuses to the teams based on the place occupied.
The soccer World Cup started almost two weeks ago, and fans of this sport naturally wonder how much money the players of the various national teams will receive if they win the trophy at stake. And, of course, such a problem was not posed by the footballers of teams such as the Cape Verde Islands, Haiti or Panama, who have minimal to zero chances of finishing in first place. On the other hand, the subject is a sensitive one, and not only in football, as evidenced by the fact that last month the participants of the Roland Garros tennis tournament declared themselves dissatisfied with the prizes collected at this competition.
The newspaper “L’Equipe” revealed that the prize issue has sparked tensions within the French football team, one of the main favorites (it won the world title in 2018 and played in the final in 2022). And the matter was resolved only before the departure of the batch to the USA. In the sense that on June 10 the president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo, accepted the players’ proposal. And this in the conditions in which the Paris forum needs a qualification of the team at least in the quarter-finals of the WC to stay afloat from a financial point of view. It was announced that Mbape & Co. they will receive a financial bonus after the group stage, the amount increasing according to the level reached in the tournament. It was not officially stated what the amounts awarded would be, but the Hexagon publication took as a benchmark the 400,000 euros awarded to each player in 2018, following the triumph in Russia, respectively the 500,000 euros awarded to the finalists in 2022. According to “LEquipe”, the bonuses from this edition do not want these amounts. And this despite an increase in FIFA’s prize pool. And to blame for this stagnation would be the cause of the higher costs raised by participating in the competition. On the other hand, it was pointed out that many of the 26 players will donate part or all of the amount to charities or other members of the technical and administrative staff who were excluded from the negotiations.
Bigger bonuses than at Euro 2024
European champion, winner of the world title in 2010, Spain is among the favorites at this edition of the WC. Moreover, this team is rated with the first chance (odds 5.50), followed by France (6.00), England (6.00), England (7.00), Argentina (9.00) and Brazil (9.00). Regarding the premiums that the Iberians would collect, it is known that they will be granted if they reach (at least) the quarter-finals.
In this regard, Rodri, Unai Simon and Ferran Torres, the players’ representatives, negotiated with the president of the Spanish Federation, Rafael Louzan, who attended the opening match of the competition. As far as it was written, the amounts discussed would exceed those of Euro 2024, the tournament that Spain won in Germany. Back then, the bonuses amounted to 187,500 euros for the quarter-finals, 233,653 for the semi-finals and 291,346 for the final. And winning the continental title brought the total to 434,615 euros.
England and Germany, first record
Of course, England will also reward their players royally if they triumph in the “New World”. Especially since this formation has been waiting since 1966 to repeat the success at the football WC. It should be noted that in addition to the premiums granted, at the final European and world tournaments, the footballers from the Island collect about 2,000 pounds (2,318 euros) per match, and the amount is donated to a foundation of the federation in London, which then redirects the funds to various charities in the country. As for premiums, the English press wrote that the Football Association has established important financial bonuses. Thus the players could collect over £500,000 (€580,000) each if the trophy is won. While coach Thomas Tuchel would opt for several million pounds.
Germany does not manage its starters in the match with Ecuador even though it is already qualified
Even the Germans did not let themselves be inferior in terms of the rewards announced in the event of a triumph of the national football team. Thus, the general director of the federation, Andreas Rettig, offered a hint about the premiums: “If the team becomes world champion, the bonus will be higher than the one announced for the 2022 edition in Qatar, as the financial gains will be significantly higher.” Based on this information, it should be remembered that four years ago the Germans would have received 400,000 euros per player for a final success… According to the daily “Bild”, this year the maximum premium would be 500,000 dollars, approximately 430,000 euros. Which would represent a record sum, considering that in 2014, when the German team won the last World Cup, the premium was 300,000 euros for each footballer. And in the daily newspaper “L’Equipe” it was recalled that Germany’s first world football champions, the ones considered the authors of the “Miracle of Bern” in 1954, obtained 200 marks per match (102 euros) and another 1,000 marks (511 euros) for the final victory, plus a television, a scooter and a leather suitcase.
The Brazilians would get the million
The Brazilians, who have not triumphed in the world football competition since 2002, would also benefit from a substantial prize. According to the media from the South American country, they would receive the amount initially planned for 2022: 6.7 million Brazilian reals each, that is 1.25 million dollars each (approximately 1,150,000 euros). The same amount would also go to head coach Carlo Ancelotti, while his first assistant would get 90% of that amount, compared to 70% for other assistants and 30% for other members of the technical staff, such as the physical trainer. In total, the Brazilian Football Confederation would distribute a prize fund of 175 million reais ($32.7 million) to the 26 players in the squad.
Another team credited with chances is Belgium. And the “red devils” will receive 435,000 euros each if they win the world title. Which represents an increased amount if we compare it with the one promised in 2022, namely 445,000 euros. The Belgians will receive €40,000 if they are eliminated in the group stage, respectively between €312,000 and €370,000 if they reach the semi-finals. The daily “La Dernière Heure” also revealed that the same premiums are also announced for Euro 2028.
As for the Americans, they have not made public the premiums that would be awarded in case of success at this World Cup. And this despite coach Pochettino stating that the objective is to win the competition. The American players were not promised a fixed prize, they were to be rewarded according to the performance achieved. Specifically, they will collect a portion of the total prizes offered by FIFA. Almost the same strategy was adopted by the Japanese, who want to reach the semi-finals.
The goalkeeper who speaks four foreign languages ticked off the 153rd match for Mexico
At this edition, the teams from Africa also presented themselves with bold objectives. Thus, in addition to money, the members of top teams such as Ivory Coast, Morocco or Senegal will receive a field or a house in case of success. Which, however, would not be a first. Those from Senegal, for example, after the victory in the African Cup, received from the head of state Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in addition to the 75 million CFA francs (approximately 115,000 euros), a plot of 1,500 square meters in an elegant suburb of Dakar. As for Egypt, only getting past the group stage was taken into account, this being the initial objective for this World Cup, which they failed to achieve in their previous three appearances.
How much money will FIFA award
After this edition of the World Cup, the world forum will allocate 655 million dollars to the participating teams based on performance. Prizes range from a minimum of $9 million for those eliminated in the group stage up to $50 million for the winner of the tournament. In addition, each participant will collect $2.5 million and a qualifying bonus of $10 million just for participating in the World Cup. In total, prize money totals $871 million.
Here are the amounts awarded: Winner of the world title – 50 million dollars, finalist – 33, bronze medalist – 29, 4th place holder – 27, teams eliminated in the quarterfinals (4 teams) – 19, teams eliminated in the round of 16 (8 teams) – 15, teams eliminated in the “16”-finals (16 teams) – 11, teams that did not pass the groups (16 teams) – 9 million dollars.
In terms of prize money awarded by FIFA, here is how it has evolved in the modern era of football: 1982 – $20 million ($2.2 million for the winner), 1986 – 26 (2.8), 1990 – 54 (3.5), 1994 – 71 (4), 1998 – 103 (6), 2002 – 134 (8), 2006 – 236 (20), 2010 – 348 (30), 2014 – 358 (35), 2018 – 400 (38) and 2022 – 440 (42).
