September 17 – FIFA has allocated $355 million to clubs releasing players for the 2026 World Cup and for the first time will pay clubs for releasing players for World Cup qualifiers.

For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA distributed $209 million amongst 440 clubs for players released to the 32 competing nations.

While the $144 million increase in payments in 2026 is a significant 70% increase in payments to clubs, the money has to go a lot further and is not an increase of 70% for clubs releasing players for the finals. In 2026 the number of nations at the finals has increased from 32 to 48 while close to 200 nations will have competed in qualifiers.

FIFA has given no indication as to how the money will be split between clubs globally.

“The enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

While being trumpeted by Infantino as “a groundbreaking and globally inclusive edition” of the World Cup, there will still be a huge financial contribution made by the world’s biggest clubs to provide their players that will not come close to being met by FIFA’s projected record breaking $10 billion+ revenue take.

For the Qatar 2022 World Cup, compensation for clubs saw $10,000 paid for each one of the days the relevant player remained with his national team during the World Cup and the official preparation period. The compensation was paid to all clubs for whom the player had played in the two years prior to the World Cup 2022.

The club compensation agreement was launched in 2010 as part of an agreement between Sepp Blatter’s FIFA and the European Club Association. It was extended in 2015 to cover both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and again in 2023 to cover 2026.

“At ECA we are pleased to have collaborated with FIFA to support the development of this innovative new FIFA Club Benefits Programme. It will ensure even more clubs across the world are rewarded for releasing players and highlights exactly how ECA’s Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA supports the ongoing growth of the global club game,” said ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

“Clubs play a pivotal role in the success of national team football and this initiative recognises every element of it, from early development through to release for the most important games. We look forward to continuing to work closely with FIFA, and the global football community, to ensure we keep driving growth and development of international football.”

What is currently unknown is whether Al-Khelaifi – who is by far the most compromised executive in global football with his club, confederation, media, national and ECA positions – has actually done a good deal for the clubs or actually just agreed a sweet deal for FIFA and his own ambitions.

In 2022 Manchester City topped the list of FIFA payments to clubs who released players for the tournament in Qatar, receiving almost $4.6 million – eclipsing the entire amount sent to the whole continent of Africa which had five national teams at the tournament.

English clubs received more than those in any other country – $37.7 million – while the $158.9 million total handed over to European teams accounted for 76% of the overall sum distributed.

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