Espanyol set for windfall from Barcelona star’s World Cup involvement | OneFootball

Joan Garcia’s rise continues to bring sporting and financial consequences, and this time both FC Barcelona and Espanyol are set to benefit.

The goalkeeper joined Barca from Espanyol a year ago after the Blaugrana paid his €25 million release clause, a move that caused major tension across the city.

Since then, Joan has justified Barcelona’s faith with an excellent first season, establishing himself as one of the most reliable Spanish goalkeepers in the game.

According to SPORT, his presence in Spain’s World Cup squad will now generate money for both Barcelona and Espanyol through FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme.

A small but useful boost for Barca

The system rewards clubs for releasing players to national teams during the World Cup, with payments calculated by the number of days each player spends with his national team.

In Joan’s case, Barcelona receive the share linked to being his current club, while Espanyol also receive compensation because he was registered there during the 2024-25 season.

The report says FIFA has allocated $355 million to the programme for the 2026 World Cup, around 70 percent more than in Qatar 2022. The approximate payment is $11,000 per player per day.

With Spain already through to the round of 32, Espanyol are guaranteed at least around $121,000, or €106,200. That figure could rise if Spain go deeper in the tournament.

For Barcelona, the amount may not transform anything, but every extra income matters in the current financial situation. The bigger satisfaction is sporting.

Joan Garcia was signed to become an important goalkeeper for Barca, and his World Cup call-up proves the club backed the right profile.

Espanyol may receive another small payment from his success, but Barcelona have the player. That is the real victory from a Blaugrana perspective.