There is a huge difference in the prize money of 2026 FIFA and T20 World Cup. The football winner will get $50 million, while the cricket winner will get only $2.63 million. The total T20 prize pool ($11.25M) is equivalent to that of one FIFA preliminary round team.
London: Both cricket and football are the most popular sports in the world. But when it comes to World Cup prize money, there is a world of difference between the two. If you compare the prize money received by the winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, you will be surprised.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is going to be the biggest sporting extravaganza in history. 48 teams will participate in it, 3 countries will host together and 104 matches will be played for 39 days in 16 stadiums. This is the first time since 1998 that the number of teams in the World Cup has been increased. FIFA has made records not only on the field but also in terms of prize money. This time the total prize money has been increased by 50% from the last World Cup to US $ 655 million (about Rs 5,469 crore).
FIFA’s record breaking amount
The FIFA Council has announced a total financial assistance of US $ 727 million for the teams participating in the 2026 World Cup. Out of this, $655 million will be distributed as prize money to only 48 teams. This time the team that wins the World Cup alone will get 50 million dollars (about Rs 417.5 crore). At the same time, the team finishing second will be given 33 million dollars (about Rs 275.5 crore). Additionally, each qualifying team will receive $1.5 million for preparation. That means, the teams which will be eliminated in the first round (33rd to 48th position), are also sure to get at least $10.5 million (about Rs 87 crore).
How far behind are the cricket champions?
Now let’s talk about cricket. One of the biggest cricket tournaments in the world, the prize money of the T20 World Cup does not come close to that of the FIFA World Cup. The total prize pool of the 2026 T20 World Cup was only US $ 11.25 million (about Rs 94 crore). This amount is almost equal to the amount ($10.5 million) received by a team eliminated in the first round of the Football World Cup!
The Indian team, which won the 2026 T20 World Cup title, received only $ 2.63 million (about Rs 22 crore) as a reward. At the same time, New Zealand, which was runner-up, was given 1.42 million dollars (about Rs 11.8 crore). These FIFA figures clearly show that football’s reach, economic power and popularity across the world is much more than cricket.