The 2026 FIFA World Cup is bigger than any before—48 teams will compete at the tournament for the first-time ever—and the prize pot certainly reflects that.
FIFA have confirmed there will be USD $727 million available to teams at the World Cup, with every team guaranteed at least $9 million for playing in the group stage, as well as a $1.5 million bonus for tournament preparation.
Teams will be able to earn more through the tournament as well, depending on how far they advance, potentially awarding life-changing money to some nations and players included in the tournament.
The increase in prize money is a significant jump from the $400 million pot offered at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Argentina took home $42 million for winning the tournament. In 2026, though, any success brings a much larger boost to cash flow.
Here’s how much the U.S. men’s national team could win and how the U.S. women's national team will also benefit from the USMNT's success.
The USMNT, USWNT Share World Cup Prize Money
With tournament prize money, FIFA traditionally awards the national soccer federation, instead of payments directly to players. From there, federations determine how to split the money among players, staff and the federation; however, U.S. Soccer and several other nations now split winnings with the women’s national teams as well.
After a tense legal battle, the USWNT and USWNT signed a collective bargaining agreement in 2022 that lasts through 2028. The CBA required the U.S. men’s and women’s teams to pool and share equally 80% of prize money won by each at the 2026 and 2027 World Cups.
For example, if the USMNT advanced to the Round of 16, they would earn at least $15 million in prize money. After allotting 20% of that to the U.S. Soccer for federation use, the players and staff of the men’s and women’s national teams would then split at least $6 million.
The exact process is applied to the Women’s World Cup; however, the prize money between the two tournaments still features a significant gap. Previously, U.S. Soccer implemented the equal prize money CBA in 2022 and 2023, with 90% of the total prize money won by each team split.
Both U.S. sides qualified for their respective Round of 16s, with the USMNT earning $13 million and the USWNT $1.9 million, bringing each team around $6.7 million in total.
2026 World Cup Prize Money Breakdown for USMNT, USWNT
| 2026 World Cup Result | Prize Money | USMNT, USWNT Share After CBA |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | $50 million | $20 million |
| Runners-up | $33 million | $13.2 million |
| 3rd place | $29 million | $11.6 million |
| 4th place | $27 million | $10.8 million |
| Quarterfinals | $19 million | $7.6 million |
| Round of 16 | $15 million | $6 million |
| Round of 32 | $11 million | $4.4 million |
| Group Stage | $9 million | $3.6 million |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2026 World Cup Prize Money: What the USMNT Could Win and Why It Matters for the USWNT.
