Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time Sunday at MetLife Stadium to win the 2026 World Cup. The Spanish federation's reward is $51 million, the largest payout in the tournament's history.
Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute in front of a crowd of more than 80,000 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is Spain's second men's world title after 2010, and it makes Spain the first nation to hold the men's and women's World Cups at the same time.
How FIFA's Record $871 Million World Cup Purse Breaks Down
FIFA distributed a combined $871 million among the 48 participating federations, a record for the tournament. More than $100 million of that was added in April, after European federations pushed for help covering the travel and lodging costs of a World Cup spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The money moves in two channels. There is prize money tied to how far a team advances, and there are flat payments covering training and preparation. Every one of the 48 federations clears at least $12.5 million: $10 million for qualifying and playing the group stage, plus $2.5 million for pre-tournament expenses.
Argentina, as runner-up, takes $34 million.
Spain's $51 Million Tops Argentina's $42 Million From Qatar 2022
Four years ago, Argentina's federation collected $42 million for winning in Qatar. Spain's haul is a $9 million jump on that figure, and the champions also receive championship rings for the first time in World Cup history.
Worth stating plainly, because it gets muddled every cycle: this money goes to national federations, not directly into players' bank accounts. How much of it reaches the squad is a matter for each federation and its own agreements. FIFA writes the check to the association.
What the Expanded Purse Signals for 2030
The 48-team format was always going to cost more to run, and the April top-up showed that even FIFA underestimated what a three-country tournament would ask of the federations traveling it. The floor payment of $12.5 million is arguably the more meaningful number here. For a smaller federation, that figure can fund a development program for years.
CNBC's breakdown of the prize money and Olympics.com's live coverage of the final carried the figures and the result. FIFA's own official final page has the full match record.
The next men's World Cup, in 2030, is split across Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three matches in South America. Expect the purse conversation to start early. More soccer coverage on BallerTube.
