The body governing football in the world, FIFA has announced that clubs will be rewarded more than usual at the 2026 World Cup.
The announcement was made by the body on Monday, March 27th, 2023, this decision means that clubs will get more money from the number of players that they have at the competition. FIFA will pay clubs $ 355 million [£290m] for releasing players for the 2026 World Cup which is a 75 percent increase from Qatar last year.
FIFA introduced the Club Benefits Programme at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, to help compensate clubs around the world for each day their players are away at the tournament. The new decision was taken after FIFA and the European Club Association [ECA] renewed their Memorandum of Understanding until December 31, 2030, at a summit in Budapest.
The FIFA statement which was released on its website read as follows:
The Club Benefits Programme, which compensates all clubs who release players for the men's World Cup, will now increase from $209 million for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments.' This is a significant day for the future of football and its long-term stability. We are very happy to renew and strengthen our cooperation agreement with ECA, an important stakeholder representing clubs from all over Europe.
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The ECA also backed FIFA's decision to increase the Club World Cup to 32 teams which is due to launch in 2025.
