FIFA boosts payouts for 2026 World Cup teams

According to the decision, preparation funding will rise from $1.5 million to $2.5 million per team, while qualification compensation will increase from $9 million to $10 million. Additional support for team delegation costs and ticket allocations will grow by more than $16 million.

“FIFA is proud to be in its most solid financial position ever, enabling us to help all our Member Associations in an unprecedented way. This is one more example of how FIFA's resources are reinvested back into the game,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

The governing body also confirmed that any remaining revenue will be shared among all 211 national federations.

In parallel decisions, FIFA approved regulatory changes allowing the Afghan Women’s Refugee Team to participate in official competitions and introduced a rule for the 2026 World Cup whereby single yellow cards will be cleared after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals.

FIFA further announced that Armenia and Georgia will host the U-20 World Cup in 2029, while Miami in the United States will stage the final phase of the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.

The FIFA presidential election for the 2027-2031 term will take place at the 77th FIFA Congress, with the electoral process beginning on April 30, 2026.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that with less than 50 days to go before kickoff, FIFA has entered the final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, releasing seats for all 104 matches on a first-come, first-served basis.