How much money does World Cup winner get? Prize, purse for 2026 tournament
How much money does World Cup winner get? Prize, purse for 2026 tournament
John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORKSun, July 19, 2026 at 2:33 PM UTC
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After 103 matches across 37 days, the 2026 World Cup comes to an end on Sunday with its 104th and final match. So who will be winning?
Lionel Messi and Argentina are looking to become just the third men's team to win back-to-back World Cup titles, and send Messi into the sunset on a high note, as the July 19 match is likely his final World Cup game. Lamine Yamal and Spain are looking to win their second tournament title, and their first since 2010.
Regardless of who wins, the winner will be receiving a rather nice payday.
Argentina vs Spain LIVE: World Cup game time, Messi updates and how to watch final
To reach Sunday's championship game, Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the semifinals, while Spain took down Kylian Mbappe and France in a 2-0 clean-sheet victory in the semifinals. Both teams are now set for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday.
Here's what to know about the payouts for the winner and runner-up of the 2026 World Cup:
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How much money does World Cup winner receive?
The winner of Sunday's World Cup Finals will receive $50 million from the tournament's prize pool. That is an increase of $8 million from what Argentina received for winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which had just 32 teams in the field instead of the 48 in this year's tournament.
How much money does World Cup runner-up receive?
The runner-up of Sunday's World Cup Finals will receive $33 million from the tournament's prize pool. That's $17 million less than what the winner will take home.
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2026 World Cup prize money
FIFA announced back in December that the pool money for the 2026 World Cup will be a record-breaking $655 million, with $139 million of that going to the top four finishers in the tournament.
Below is a full breakdown of the World Cup purse:
Champion: $50 million
Runner-up: $33 million
3rd place: $29 million (England)
4th place: $27 million (France)
5th-8th place: $19 million
9th-16th place: $15 million
17th- 32nd place: $11 million
33rd-48th place: $9 million
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup prize money, purse: How much does winner, runner-up get?
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