FIFA’s compensation paid to clubs that release players for the men’s World Cup has been increased by nearly 70% to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, the global football governing body and the European Club Association (ECA) said on Monday.
The Club Benefits Programme affords clubs a share of national team competition revenues in return for releasing players and also protects the clubs in case their players are injured on international duty.
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The previous amount earmarked for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was $209m. A renewed memorandum of understanding was signed Monday at the ECA general assembly in Budapest, Hungary.
“We are delighted to have signed this landmark agreement,” ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.
“The MoU recognises the central role of clubs in football globally and ensures that they are properly represented in decision making around issues which affect them.”
Earlier this month, FIFA announced a 32-team Club World Cup will be played every four years from June 2025, replacing its annual competition that featured seven teams.
