The International Federatiom of Foot ball Associations (FIFA) will pay clubs £290m for releasing players for the 2026 World Cup – an enormous 75 per cent increase from Qatar last year.
Under the Club Benefits Programme, introduced at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, FIFA compensates clubs around the world for each day their players are away at the tournament.
Manchester City profited most of any club from the 2022 World Cup, receiving £4.5m of the £169m pot FIFA distributed.
But those sums are set to skyrocket after FIFA and the European Club Association renewed their Memorandum of Understanding until December 31, 2030 at a summit in Budapest.
With the World Cup set to expand from 32 to 48 nations – and from 64 to 104 matches – from the 2026 tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, the compensation pot has risen accordingly.
The £290m Club Benefits pot will also apply to the 2030 World Cup.
