The FIFA World Cup is the most coveted prize in the footballing world – and the 32 teams at this year’s tournament will be battling it out for a record-breaking cash prize.
Over the 92-year history of the competition, the World Cup has produced some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport and it is a stage where legends are made. From Diego Maradona’s solo goal against England in 1986 to Kylian Mbappe’s heroics at 2018 final, the World Cup never disappoints.
The prize money can be especially beneficial for smaller nations to help improve their infrastructure and developments pathways back home. FIFA haven’t held back when it comes to prize money for World Cups in recent years, and 2022 is no different — with record-breaking sums up for grabs.
Here, FootTheBall breaks down the prize money on offer in Qatar and how much each team can win.
Total prize money at 2022 World Cup
Every year the budget of the FIFA World Cup increases as the participants and number of sponsors also increase simultaneously. For Qatar 2022 World Cup, the budget is $700 million. The prize money is distributed among all participants and all teams receive $2m to play in the FIFA World Cup.
Teams will get paid $10m to play in the group stage. The further teams go in the tournament, the more the prize money increases. The winner of the World Cup will receive a whooping $50m in prize money, which makes it $62m overall. In further budget breakdown, FIFA will also pay an impressive amount of $210 to the clubs for allowing their players to participate at the Qatar2022 FIFA World Cup.
[THREAD]
Football's Ultimate Art is HERE! 😍
Take a look at the master crafts of this year's #QatarWorldCup 🔥📍 Al Janoub Stadium, Al-Wakrah
💺 Capacity – 40,000#LetsQatar #WorldCup2022[1/8] pic.twitter.com/tLcs8RUt3O
— FootTheBall FC (@FootTheBallFC) November 17, 2022
How much does the 2022 World Cup winner get?
FIFA confirmed in April 2022 that the Qatar World Cup champions will receive a record $42 million in prize money. This is an increase of $4m compared to 2018 and continues a trend that has seen the winners’ pay packets increase massively over the past 40 years.
Prior to 2006, World Cup-winning teams never pocketed more than $10m, with 1982 champions Italy walking away with an estimated $2.2m for their efforts.
In 2002, there was a big push from national teams for FIFA to increase the prize money on offer, with growing World Cup revenue ensuring such profits have been handed down to successful sides since.
In addition to the prize money and the sought-after World Cup, the winner of the World Cup 2022 will also receive a direct qualification to the next FIFA Confederation Cup.