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FIFA announced on Friday that clubs releasing players for the World Cup or its qualifying matches will receive increased financial compensation this summer.
The football governing body raised its Club Benefits Programme budget to $355 million (€306 million), marking a 70 per cent increase from the total distributed for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Although FIFA did not reveal total revenue numbers, it expects a 56 per cent revenue jump this year compared to 2022, alongside a 72 per cent increase for the four-year cycle ending in 2026.
The expanded tournament structure justifies the massive funding increase, as the tournament will feature 48 teams instead of 36.
Total matches will rise from 64 to 104, extending the entire competition over 39 days compared to the 29 days of the previous edition.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, FIFA will also directly compensate clubs when their players appear in World Cup qualifying matches. FIFA has divided the total $355 million fund into three distinct sections.
It reserved $250 million to compensate clubs for players participating in the finals, calculating a minimum daily payout of $5,000 per player spent at the tournament.
Officials will compute these payments on a per-player, per-day basis, factoring in both squad inclusion and the exact duration of each player’s involvement.
The second portion earmarks $100 million specifically for the qualification phase.
FIFA will pay $2,362 for each player included in a match-day squad across 905 qualifying games, which also covers 10 friendly matches for the three host nations that bypassed qualification.
The remaining $5 million will fund administrative costs, while any leftover balance will support global club football.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino explained that the expanded World Cup structure successfully provides more support across the global football ecosystem to the clubs that supply the world’s best talent.
Officials will base the payouts on initial squad announcements, but explicit provisions exist to cover mid-tournament transfers and injury replacements.
