2026 World Cup: The eye-watering numbers explained
From $15,000 tickets to $12 billion revenues, the 2026 World Cup is bigger and richer than ever. Here are the numbers behind it.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup hasn't even kicked off, but the money headlines are already staggering.
Hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, the 2026 World Cup will feature an expanded lineup of 48 teams, including debutants Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.
Whichever way you look at it, the scale of football's crown jewel is immense.
Consider the audience, for one. FIFA estimates that five billion people engaged with the 2022 Qatar World Cup across various media forms, with 1.42 billion tuning in to the final.
So what about the money? With massive audiences, lucrative broadcast and advertising deals and some of the world's richest athletes on show, the World Cup is full of staggering figures.
So, before the action on the pitch really ramps up, here are some financial facts to impress your football-watching friends during the tournament.
Note: All figures have been converted into Australian dollars unless otherwise indicated.
How much are 2026 World Cup tickets?
Unsurprisingly, the World Cup has created controversy well in advance of the tournament itself, with ticket prices being one of the biggest grievances for fans.
Despite the tournament kicking off tomorrow, there are still plenty of unsold tickets. Given that, fans might think that they'll be able to score a last-minute bargain, but that's not the case.
Take Australia's first game against Türkiye this weekend. The cheapest seats available on the FIFA website are going for US$380 ($543.16) while the most expensive are US$1170 ($1672).
That's just for a group stage game. Tickets for the semi-final being held in Dallas next month will set fans back between US$2705 ($3866) and $US11,130 ($15,910).
How much money will FIFA make from the 2026 World Cup?
Given the huge audience it attracts, it's not surprising that the World Cup is a significant revenue generator for world football's governing body.
The sale of rights for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar generated roughly $9 billion for FIFA, with broadcasting and marketing deals making up the largest share of revenue.
Given the expanded nature of the 2026 World Cup - which will feature an additional 40 matches - that figure is set to be smashed.
While the final figure won't be confirmed until after the tournament, FIFA is projecting revenue of US$8.9 billion ($12.7 billion) for 2026 alone - the bulk of which will come from the World Cup.
Who are the highest paid players at the 2026 World Cup?
While there's likely to be plenty of ultra-wealthy individuals in the stands, Forbes reports that, for the first time, two billionaires are set to take the field at the World Cup.
These, of course, are two of the greatest - and now wealthiest - players to play the game: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi.
Despite being in the twilight of their careers, both are also at the top of the high-earners list for players appearing at the World Cup.
Forbes estimates that Ronaldo pulled in US$300 million ($428 million) in on-field and off-field earnings over the last year, while Messi made US$140 million ($200 million).
Among the other mega-earners are France and Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé ($135 million), Norway and Man City forward Erling Haaland ($114 million) and 18-year-old Spain and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal ($61 million).
Which 2026 World Cup teams are worth the most?
The financial side of football isn't just about wages though - for fans, it's also about what players are worth on the transfer market.
So, which national sides at the World Cup are among the most valuable? France tops the list, according to football database Transfermarket.
Boasting players like Mbappé, Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise and Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé, Transfermarket estimates that the combined market value of Les Bleus is €1.52 billion ($2.5 billion).
England ($2.2 billion) and Spain ($2 billion) are not far behind, while Portugal ($1.7 billion) and Germany ($1.6 billion) round out the top five.
With an estimated market value of around $128 million, the Socceroos squad will be the 35th most valuable squad at the tournament.
How much is winning the World Cup worth?
Like athletes at the Olympics, most footballers playing at the World Cup will be focused on winning rather than financial incentives. That doesn't mean that there isn't prize money though.
FIFA is set to pay out roughly $936 million to the national associations of teams competing at the World Cup. $71 million will go to the winner and $47 million to the runner-up, while each nation is guaranteed at least $15 million.
That won't necessarily all go to the teams though. Australian players will reportedly receive 50% of any World Cup prize money under their current collective bargaining agreement.
So, if half of that $15 million figure was split with the 26 members of the Socceroos squad, each player would receive $288,395.
Get stories like this in our newsletters.
