The World Cup is taking place across the US, Canada and Mexico this summer in what is the biggest tournament in the competition’s history.
For the first time ever, 48 sides are playing in the World Cup with a staggering 104 games being staged over the five weeks of action.
To reflect the expanded tournament, FIFA has made the prize fund for this year’s edition the most lucrative to date.
Just qualifying for the World Cup itself has guaranteed teams almost £7m in prize money, whilst the victorious side in the final on July 19 will receive a check for just shy of £40m.
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How much do the winners get?
A total prize money pot of £491m has been set aside by FIFA for teams competing in the tournament.
This figure represents a 50% increase on the prize fund that was on offer to sides competing four years ago in Qatar – although that tournament featured 32 nations rather than 48.
The winning team will receive around £37.2m, whilst the runners-up will leave with £24.6m.
The third-placed team will bank £21.6m, which is slightly more than the fourth-placed side with £20m.
The four losing quarter-finalists will each be given £14m and the teams who fall at the Round of 16 stage will be handed £11.2m.
Those who make it into the Round of 32 will receive £8.2m and the 16 sides who fail to progress from the group stage will still earn themselves £6.7m.
Countries will also be in receipt of a £1.1m payment from FIFA to cover preparation costs, meaning teams will depart North America with no less than £7.8m in total.
World Cup prize money round-by-round
- Group stage: £6.7m
- Round of 32: £8.2m
- Round of 16: £11.2m
- Quarter-finals: £14m
- Fourth place: £20m
- Third place: £21.6m
- Runners-up: £24.6m
- Winners: £37.2m
Do players get a share of the prize money?
The players usually get a slice of the prize fund – but it’s not automatic.
The prize money is paid by FIFA straight to each nation’s football association, rather than to the players themselves.
Whilst there is no rule stating that players must get a share of the money, there are normally agreements in place between the football associations and the players as to how much money they will receive from the total fund.
In addition to this, some associations decide to give their players a fee for each appearance they make at a major tournament.
Player incomes can be topped up further by bonuses, such as for winning a match, reaching a certain stage in the tournament or for winning the whole competition itself.