Spain Beats Argentina in 2026 World Cup Final; Champion Receives $51 Million, Runner-Up $34 Million

Spain defeated Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19 and received $51 million as champion while the runner-up collected $34 million. The fund grew by more than $100 million in April after European federations requested additional support for travel and lodging costs at a tournament staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Every team received at least $12.5 million, made up of $10 million for qualifying and the group stage plus $2.5 million for pre-tournament training and expenses.

England earned $30 million for third place and France $28 million for fourth. Quarterfinalists each received $20 million, round-of-16 teams $16 million each, round-of-32 teams $12 million each, and group-stage teams $10 million each. The champion's payout exceeded the $42 million Argentina received after winning the 2022 tournament, when the total fund stood at $440 million.

FIFA pays prize money directly to national federations rather than to players. FIFA covered business-class return flights, board and lodging for a 50-person delegation, domestic travel and a fleet of vehicles for each federation. Federations remain responsible for insurance, incidental hotel costs and housing for additional members.

France federation president Philippe Diallo told L’Equipe he had raised concerns with FIFA President Gianni Infantino about prize money levels compared with the Club World Cup. U.S. Soccer retains 20 percent of its share and splits the remaining 80 percent evenly between the men’s and women’s national teams under a 2022 agreement.

Winners receive a gold-plated replica of the trophy to keep permanently.