FIFA boosts World Cup prize money to $400m

KOLKATA, Oct 28: The 32 national teams competing at the 2018 World Cup will share $400 million (344 million euros) in prize money, a 12 percent increase from the 2014 tournament, FIFA said Friday.

The purse at the previous edition in Brazil was $358 million — $35 million of which was awarded to champions Germany, with runners-up Argentina pocketing $25 million.

By contrast, countries who failed to advance beyond the group stage received $8 million.

At a meeting of the FIFA council in Kolkata, world football’s governing body also approved a decision to enhance the bidding regulations for the 2026 World Cup and appointed members of the bid evaluation task force.

Dates for several upcoming FIFA tournaments, including next year’s Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, were also confirmed.

The 2018 Club World Cup will run from December 12 to 22, while the Women’s World Cup in 2019 is scheduled to start on June 7 with the final to take place on July 7.