The World Cup, the biggest tournament in world football, is now not just a battle on the field, it is also a huge source of income for FIFA. While only 13 teams participated in the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930, 48 countries are participating in the 2026 edition. With the increase in teams, the scope of the tournament, commercial scope and FIFA`s income have also increased. Bangladesh is also going to benefit from a part of this income.
FIFA has announced a record prize money of 871 million US dollars for the 2026 World Cup, which is about 65 percent more than the previous edition. A part of the income earned from the World Cup is spent on football development activities in FIFA member countries. According to that rule, after the tournament, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is also expecting to receive a large amount of money for the development and organizational activities of football.
Regarding the distribution of FIFA`s money, former national footballer Zulfikar Mahmud Mintu said that a part of the income that FIFA earns from the World Cup is divided among all member associations around the world. FIFA`s financial support system is mainly aimed at developing football in member countries.
He said that increasing the number of teams participating in the World Cup is also increasing opportunities for different countries. Especially teams from regions like Asia and Africa are now becoming more optimistic about getting a place in the World Cup. Due to the increase in teams, the competition in the qualifying round has also increased than before.
The amount of money that has increased in this year`s World Cup is clear from the amount of money received by the teams. Each participating team received 2.5 million US dollars for training camps and travel expenses at the beginning of the tournament. Then, the 16 teams that were eliminated from the group stage received another 10 million dollars each. As a result, their total income in the first stage stood at 12.5 million dollars.
The prize money for the teams that were eliminated in the later stages of the World Cup has also increased. The teams that were eliminated in the second round received 10 million dollars. The teams that were eliminated from the last 16 received 10 million dollars. The four teams that were eliminated in the quarterfinals received 20 million dollars each.
In addition, the fourth-placed team in the third-place match will receive $27 million and the third-placed team will receive $29 million. The runner-up team that loses in the final will receive $33 million. And the World Cup champion will receive a record $50 million.
As a portion of FIFA`s huge income is used to develop football worldwide, those concerned hope that new opportunities will be created in the football infrastructure, training and development activities of member countries, including Bangladesh.
