FIFA has announced that football clubs worldwide will receive compensation for releasing players to participate in 2026 World Cup qualifiers, expanding its long-running Club Benefits Program.
The governing body confirmed on Tuesday that the scheme — which has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to clubs since 2010 — will, for the first time, cover players involved in qualifying matches, not just those selected for the final tournament.
FIFA previously set aside $355 million from its record-breaking revenues for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This marks a significant increase from the $209 million distributed for both the 2018 and 2022 editions.
“This new approach means that any club that releases a player for a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier will now be directly compensated,” FIFA said in a statement.
The decision follows a renewed agreement with the European Club Association (ECA). In 2022, 440 clubs from 51 countries shared funds, with Manchester City receiving the largest payout of $4.6 million.
However, FIFA noted that the biggest clubs will earn a smaller percentage this time, as more teams are eligible due to the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 nations and the inclusion of qualifiers.
FIFA launched the Club Benefits Program with $40 million from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Since then, the fund has grown significantly, aligning with ECA demands for fairer compensation for clubs whose players participate in international competitions.
A similar program run by UEFA already compensates clubs for releasing players in qualifiers for European tournaments, benefiting more than 900 clubs across 55 member associations.
Russia and Eritrea are among the few FIFA members not participating in the qualifiers — Russia due to its ongoing suspension since 2022.
