World Cup 2022 Prize Money: Complete Purse and Earnings Info for FIFA Tournament
For many fans of international sports competition, there are two quadrennial events that outshine all others. There is the Olympics—which occurs every two years, alternating between winter and summer games—and there is the FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup is the highest level of football (or soccer) competition, pitting the best players each country has to offer against one another on an international stage. The FIFA Women's World Cup last took place in 2019 in France, with the United States topping the Netherlands in the championship bout.
Now it's time for the men's tournament.
The 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup is slated to kick off on Sunday, with host nation Qatar taking on Ecuador roughly two hours after the opening ceremony begins. It promises to be the first of many great matches, as national teams compete for glory and a place in world football history.
Oh, and there will be some big financial prizes on the line, too. Below, you'll find a look at this year's payout information for the World Cup, along with a quick preview of the tournament's top teams and odds.
2022 FIFA World Cup Opener
Who: Qatar vs. Ecuador
Where: Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar
When: Sunday, November 20
Time: 11 a.m. ET
TV: FS1
Prize Purse and Earnings Information
FIFA has set aside a whopping $440 million for prize payouts for the 2022 tournament, with $42 million going to the winning team.
According to FIFA, the rest of the prize purse will break down as follows.
The runner-up will earn $30 million, while the third-place team will take home $27 million. Coming in fourth will earn a team $25 million. Teams finishing 17th through 32nd will receive $9 million apiece, while those who make it to the round of 16 are guaranteed $13 million.
Teams finishing fifth through eighth will receive $17 million each. Additionally, FIFA allotted each qualified team $1.5 million ahead of the tournament to help cover preparation costs.
This marks a notable increase from the 2018 payout for the World Cup in Russia. That tournament had a prize pool of $400 million, with $38 million going to the champion. It's also a significantly larger sum than what was awarded for the women's tournament.
The U.S. women's team took home just $4 million—from a $30 million prize pool—for their victory in 2019. The disparity led to the U.S. national teams' decision to split prize money equally between the men's and women's teams through 2028.
And the 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand could mark the start of rising purses for women's events.
"Today, the men's World Cup is the one that is funding all the FIFA competitions, including the Women’s World Cup. But we have seen new trends in terms ofrevenues," FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura said, per Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press.
As the women's game grows in popularity, so too should the payouts. The men's payouts for 2022 are historically high, and it's unlikely that the prize pool for the North American 2026 World Cup will be lower.
2022 World Cup Grouping and Preview
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, United States, Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Brazil is the favorite to win the 2022 World Cup, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. This isn't a major surprise, as the Brazilian team—headlined this year by the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Jr.—traditionally fares well in the tournament.
While Brazil last won in 2002, the team has made the quarterfinals in each appearance since.
According to Bleacher Report's panel of world football experts, however, Argentina is the team to beat in this year's tournament. All four panelists—Alex Windley, Nick Akerman, Shane Evans and Meg Swanick—have Argentina in the final.
From Akerman:
"I just can’tlook beyond a side that hasn’t lost in 35 games and are brushing teams aside while scoring a lot of goals. Argentina have so many huge characters in their squad that you’d be inspired to go to war with, evenaway from the likely goal scorers. Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, the list goes on.
"Throw in Messi and a little dash of exciting youth, including Julian Alvarez, and you’ve got the recipe for world champions."
While Brazil (7-2) is the betting favorite, Argentina isn't far behind at 5-1. France (7-1), Spain (17-2), England (9-1) and Germany (10-1) are also among the favorites.
The United States team is considered a heavy long shot at 130-1, and that's no surprise. While the U.S. women's team is regularly among the last World Cup teams standing, the men's team hasn't had similar success. It has never placed higher than eighth.
According to Swanick, it's hard to know how Team USA will fare in Qatar:
"This is the second-youngest team in Qatar but among the most talented generations the U.S. has ever had," Swanick wrote. "That combination of talent and youth makes their success in 2022 hard to predict. ... I think the United States will reach the round of 16."
Will we a team like the U.S. go on a surprise run? Perhaps, but fans can and should expect one of the favorites to win it all. It will be rewarded handsomely for doing so.
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