Barcelona could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the 2026 World Cup in North America due to a FIFA-backed programme.
Los Cules have a large number of players representing their countries with a total of 17 players (including Marcus Rashford) competing at this summer's tournament, including nine from Spain who are favourites to win the trophy.
Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford will both feature for England while France’s and Netherlands’ final squad has seen Jules Kounde and Frenkie De Jong called up respectively. The likes of Raphinha and Ronald Araujo will also feature for the South American teams of Brazil and Uruguay.
And Barcelona will be keeping a close eye on how each of them do.
Barcelona set for financial windfall thanks to new FIFA programme
FIFA’s new Club Benefits Programme has been created to recognise and reward the contribution that football clubs make to the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup. The programme rewards clubs that release their players to play for national teams at the FIFA World Cup.
FIFA has created a fund worth more than £185 million to distribute to clubs based on the number of players and how long they remain in the tournament for. A potential cheer for Spain to go all the way.
According to FIFA, the payment works out at roughly £3,700 per player, per day from the start of the tournament until their elimination or the final.
The programme was introduced in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with the report claiming that Barcelona recieved $4,538,955USD for their player involvement in that tournament.
Which Barcelona players could earn the club the most money
Spain, France, Brazil, England, Netherlands and Portugal are the six favourites to win this year's World Cup, which means there is a very good chance at least one of our players could go the distance and become a world champion.
No. of players in the final | Prize money estimate (USD) |
|---|---|
1 | $280,000 |
2 | $560,000 |
10 (potential Spain vs England Final) | $2,800,000 |
The tournament kicks off in Mexico City on June 11 with hosts Mexico playing South Africa, while Brazil and Raphinha are the first in action for the Barcelona contingent with Spain playing on Monday, 17 June.
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