Man City, Bayern, PSG Top List as Clubs Cash In on World Cup

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) will pay a record-breaking total of $355 million (about 553.6 billion won) in compensation to professional football clubs worldwide that sent players to the 2026 World Cup in North America. As the number of nations competing in the finals has expanded, the scale of financial compensation clubs can collect has also grown significantly.

According to foreign media reports Friday, FIFA finalized this compensation distribution plan for the clubs of 1,248 players from 48 nations competing in the finals of the upcoming World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The amount is about 70% higher than the compensation paid out at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The increase comes as the number of nations in the finals jumped from 32 to 48, while the total number of matches rose from 64 to 104, expanding the overall compensation fund itself.

Of the total fund, $250 million (about 389.9 billion won) will first be allocated to the clubs of players competing in the finals. The compensation a club receives during the finals will be calculated at about $5,000 (about 7.79 million won) per player per day.

In particular, starting with this tournament, a total of $100 million (about 155.9 billion won) will also be distributed for the first time to clubs that released players during the qualifying period, regardless of whether the team reached the finals. Based on the qualifying period, in which 209 national teams worldwide played a total of 905 matches, clubs will receive $2,360 (about 3.68 million won) per match each time a player is called up to a national team.

The biggest beneficiary of this record compensation program is expected to be Manchester City of the English Premier League (EPL). Man City is sending 19 players to this World Cup, the most of any club worldwide. Man City also recorded the highest compensation payout in both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Bayern Munich of Germany followed with 18 players, while Paris Saint-Germain (France) and Arsenal (England) each released 16 players. Crystal Palace of the EPL produced a surprise. Crystal Palace, which recently won the UEFA Conference League, sent 12 players to the World Cup stage, surpassing traditional powerhouses such as Real Madrid (10) and Liverpool (11) to secure a large sum in compensation.