Who will take the $51 million (about 76 billion won) in prize money for winning the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) North and Central America World Cup.
Spain and Argentina face off in the final at 4 a.m. on the 20th (Korea time). Argentina is seeking back-to-back World Cup titles following the 2022 Qatar tournament and its fourth championship. Spain is going for its second title and first in 16 years since the 2010 South Africa tournament.
According to U.S. broadcaster CNBC, FIFA has put up a record $871 million in support for teams participating in this World Cup. That is about double the amount from the 2022 Qatar tournament. The increase largely reflects the expanded field.
The winner's prize is also a record $51 million. The gap with the runner-up prize of $34 million (about 51 billion won) is $17 million (about 25 billion won).
Third-place Britain took $30 million, and fourth-place France took $28 million. Teams that reached the group stage also received $10 million each.
CNBC, however, said the World Cup winner's prize "looks paltry compared with the vast sums pouring into global soccer," adding that it is "even less than what last year's FIFA Club World Cup winner received."
CNBC said the World Cup trophy is more valuable than the prize money. The World Cup trophy is not permanently awarded to the winner, and a gold-plated replica is presented.