FIFA to Increase Historic 2026 World Cup Prize Money amid Rumored Complaints of High Costs in USA

FIFA is reportedly increasing its prize pool again.

According to Dan Sheldon of The Athletic, "The world governing body and World Cup organizer has confirmed that it is in talks with national associations over improved funding, with the proposals expected to be rubber-stamped at the FIFA Council meeting in Vancouver on April 28."

The initial prize pool for this summer's World Cup was $727 million, with each participating federation taking home a minimum of $10.5 million. The winning nation was set to collect a $50 million prize.

But per Sheldon, "UEFA, European football's governing body, was lobbying FIFA to increase World Cup prize money and overall financial support for federations competing at the tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico" due to "concerns from several of its member associations about the substantial costs associated with these finals, including the price of travel, operations and tax in the U.S. in particular."

Sheldon added, however, that FIFA has privately insisted that any increase in prize pools isn't a reaction to UEFA's concerns or any other external pressure. Instead, those sources told The Athletic that the increase has come from a projected $11 billion in revenues from the event.

FIFA has come under heat ahead of this year's World Cup given the exorbitant pricing for tickets, leaving many fans unable to afford to attending the event.

While FIFA responded with a "Supporter Entry Tier" collection of tickets, lowering the prices of those particular offerings, they are limited.