Lionel Messi not only captured that elusive World Cup title with Argentina defeating France in a thrilling final Sunday, but he and his teammates will receive a hefty financial prize for their win.
All World Cup participants receive prize money for making the tournament, but as each teams advances through the group stages and the knockout rounds, the more money each national federation nets. In total, FIFA will give out $440 million to 2022 participants.
This year, the World Cup winner was set to receive the most money of any previous champion.
Here’s how much money Argentina will get for winning the World Cup, and what to know about World Cup prize money:
How much money will Argentina get for winning the World Cup?
Argentina will receive $42 million for winning the international tournament, the most in World Cup history.
The players won’t be getting all of the money, but they are expected to get a good chunk of it. It’s up to the soccer federation to determine how the money will be given out.
The prize money for Argentina is a $4 million increase from when France won the 2018 World Cup, receiving $38 million.
How much money have previous World Cup champions won?
FIFA has been publicizing World Cup prize money since 1982, according to The Athletic. Since Italy was awarded $2.2 million for winning the 1982 World Cup, the prize money for the champion has gone up since then.
Here is a look at the prize money for the past 11 World Cup winners, according to The Athletic:
1982 World Cup champion: Italy – $2.2 million
1986: Argentina – $2.8 million
1990: West Germany – $3.5 million
1994: Brazil – $4 million
1998: France – $6 million
2002: Brazil – $8 million
2006: Italy – $20 million
2010: Spain – $30 million
2014: Germany – $35 million
2018: France – $ 38 million
2022: Argentina – $42 million
How much money does each 2022 World Cup team get?
Argentina gets the most money out of each team, but it doesn’t get the majority of the prize money. How much each team gets depends how they finished the tournament, plus an extra $1.5 million for each toward costs of preparing for the tournament.
Despite losing in the final, France gets $30 million. Third-place finisher Croatia gets $27 million and fourth-place Morocco gets $25 million.
Here is how much each team gets for the 2022 World Cup:
Champions (Argentina): $42 million
Runner-up (France): $30 million
Third place: (Croatia): $27 million
Fourth place: (Morocco): $25 million
5th-8th place (Netherlands, Brazil, Portugal and England): $17 million each
9th-16th place (U.S., Australia, Poland, Senegal, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland): $14 million each
Group stage teams (Ecuador, Qatar, Iran, Wales, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Denmark, Germany, Costa Rica, Belgium, Canada, Cameroon, Serbia, Uruguay and Ghana): $9 million each
Source: USAToday.com
