FIFA recently agreed to boost prize money for the upcoming tournament and expand development funds for all 211 member federations.
According to The GuardianFIFA’s development fund will exceed its initially projected $2.7 billion budget over the next four years. Each national federation will receive at least $5 million, while the six regional confederations will each get $60 million to develop the sport locally.
“Ahead of a council meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on April 28, FIFA can confirm it is in discussions with associations around the world to increase available revenues,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement.
“This includes a proposed increase of financial contributions to all qualified teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and of development funding available to all 211 member associations.”
General view of the World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony before the 2022 final between Argentina and France. Photo by Reuters |
For Vietnam, this funding injection will directly support youth academies and national team development, including the men’s, women’s and futsal teams. The VFF also aims to use these resources to push the men’s team back to the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup.
The funding increase comes after several member federations, primarily from Europe, expressed concerns over the high travel, operational and tax costs of participating in World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico this summer. Some federations feared they would lose money even if their teams advanced deep into the tournament.
In December 2025, FIFA announced a record $727 million prize pool for the 48-team tournament, according to The New York Times. Initially, each participating team was guaranteed $10.5 million, with the winner taking home $50 million. Following recent complaints, FIFA plans to increase these base figures.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community, and FIFA is proud to be in its strongest ever financial position to benefit the global game through its FIFA Forward programme,” the statement added.
FIFA projects a massive $13 billion in revenue over the current four-year cycle, with $9 billion generated directly by this summer’s World Cup. This strong financial position has allowed the governing body to increase prize pools and expand global football development funding.
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