Fifa to pay clubs R$1.8 billion for releasing players for 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Fifa will compensate clubs with US$ 355 million (R$ 1.8 billion at the current exchange rate) for releasing their players to participate in the 2026 World Cup, the organization announced this Tuesday (16).

The amount is 70% higher compared to what was distributed in the 2022 World Cup.

This compensation program, a result of the agreement with the European Club Association (ECA), also extends to clubs that release players during the Qualifiers, even if they do not participate in next year's tournament, which will be jointly organized by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

In the edition held three years ago in Qatar, players from the 32 participating teams generated “US$ 209 million [about R$ 1 billion at the exchange rate at the time] among 440 clubs from 51 member federations from the six confederations,” highlighted Fifa.

More teams

In the 2026 World Cup, the number of teams will be expanded from 32 to 48, with a significant increase in the number of matches (from 64 to 104).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.