How much money do you get for winning the World Cup?

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FT Desk

Spain earned eternal glory when they won the 2026 World Cup after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final at MetLife Stadium.

It was the second time La Roja won the world's most prestigious football tournament, having triumphed at the 2010 edition in South Africa.

It was the largest tournament in the competition's history, expanding from 32 to 48 teams. A total of 104 matches were played across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and North America.

While all the Spain players themselves will have been dreaming of lifting the famous World Cup trophy, there was an added incentive of a financial bonus for the Spanish FA.

For winning the 2026 World Cup, Spain received $51 million, while runners-up Argentina received $34m.

The prize pot, including every nation, was $871m, with $703m of that being distributed depending on where a team finished at the tournament.

Each nation also received $2.5m in 'preparation money' which means that each team that qualified was guaranteed at least $12m.

FIFA introduced additional team contributions in the form of subsidies to help cover delegation expenses and by increasing each nation's ticket allocation. The initiative was designed to lessen the financial gap between participating countries by helping offset World Cup-related costs, including travel, logistics, and administrative expenses.

Spain are #FIFAWorldCup Champions. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mWLw5iis2C

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2026

What did the players get?

Of the $51m awarded by FIFA to the Spanish Football Federation, around 45% is expected to be allocated as player bonuses, creating a pool of approximately $25.9m.

Split among the 26-man squad, this equated to about $995k per player before taxes. In addition to these bonuses, players earned further income through commercial and sponsorship agreements connected to their involvement with the Spanish national team.