- Manchester City, Barcelona and Arsenal Headline Record FIFA World Cup Club Windfall
Manchester City are set to emerge as the biggest financial winners from FIFA’s expanded Club Benefits Programme following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reinforcing the English champions’ dominance not only on the pitch but also in football’s growing financial landscape.
With the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup now concluded, FIFA is preparing to distribute a record US$355 million to clubs around the world whose players participated in both the qualifying campaign and the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States. It is the largest compensation package ever paid to clubs for releasing players to international duty, representing an increase of nearly 70 per cent from the US$209 million distributed after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
According to estimates based on FIFA’s payment formula, Manchester City are expected to receive approximately US$4.4 million (about £3.3 million) from the finals alone, placing them comfortably at the top of the global rankings for the third consecutive World Cup. The English club benefited from having six players remain in the tournament until its closing weekend, including Spain midfielder Rodri, who lifted the World Cup trophy, as well as France internationals Rayan Cherki, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly, John Stones and James Trafford, all of whom featured in the latter stages of the competition.
Barcelona are projected to finish second on the earnings list after another strong international showing from their players, while Arsenal occupy third place despite seeing their potential payout reduced because their participation in the UEFA Champions League final delayed the release of several key players to their national teams. Crystal Palace emerged as one of the biggest surprise beneficiaries, with an estimated US$2.7 million, thanks to an impressive 12-player representation at the World Cup, while newly promoted Sunderland also feature among the leading English earners after several of their players made significant contributions during the tournament.
FIFA calculates payments using a straightforward but lucrative formula. Clubs receive roughly US$5,000 per player per day from the mandatory release date until one day after their nation’s elimination from the tournament. The deeper a country advances, the more money its clubs receive. Players who reached the final therefore generated considerably larger returns than those eliminated during the group stage.
For the first time in the programme’s history, FIFA has also expanded the scheme to reward clubs whose players appeared in World Cup qualifiers. An additional US$100 million has been allocated for the 905 qualifying matches played worldwide, with clubs expected to receive approximately US$2,360 per player per qualifying appearance. The remaining US$5 million from the overall fund will support broader club football development after administrative costs.
The expansion reflects FIFA’s belief that clubs play a central role in developing international footballers. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has repeatedly argued that clubs deserve greater recognition for nurturing players before they represent their countries on the world’s biggest stage. The enhanced programme forms part of FIFA’s long-term agreement with the European Club Association aimed at strengthening cooperation between club and international football.
While Europe’s elite clubs are once again expected to claim the largest share of the money, the expanded World Cup has also spread financial rewards more widely than ever before. The increase from 32 to 48 participating nations brought many new footballing countries into the tournament, allowing hundreds of clubs outside Europe’s traditional powerhouses to benefit from FIFA payments for the first time. More than 450 clubs across the globe are expected to receive compensation, with significant participation from Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania.
Premier League clubs are projected to collect more than US$34 million, comfortably ahead of Germany’s Bundesliga, whose clubs are expected to earn nearly US$19 million. Nevertheless, football economists point out that even these record payments remain relatively modest compared with the enormous wage bills of Europe’s biggest clubs. Manchester City’s estimated US$4.4 million payout, for example, represents only a tiny fraction of the club’s annual player salary expenditure, which runs into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Yet for smaller clubs, the programme can be transformational. Teams from lower divisions that contributed just one international player stand to receive life-changing sums. Such payments can improve infrastructure, strengthen youth development programmes, reduce financial pressures and create greater long-term stability.
The Club Benefits Programme complements FIFA’s record financial commitment to the 2026 World Cup itself. The governing body allocated US$871 million in total to participating national teams, including US$655 million in performance-based prize money, a US$10 million qualification payment for every nation and a US$2.5 million preparation grant. The world champions collected US$50 million, while every country that reached the tournament benefited financially regardless of results.
As football’s global economy continues to expand alongside larger tournaments and record commercial revenues, FIFA’s latest distribution demonstrates that the rewards of the modern World Cup extend well beyond the national teams. From the biggest clubs in Europe to modest sides in developing football nations, the world’s most prestigious tournament is increasingly becoming a financial engine that supports every level of the game while recognising the clubs whose players help make the spectacle possible.
