The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle event in international soccer, and this summer’s competition offers more nations the chance to be part of the euphoria that comes with it than ever before. The event only comes around every four years and reaches a global audience unlike any other.
The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup reached 1.064 billion in-home TV viewers, with a single-match peak of 570.8 million live watchers for its final between Argentina and France. For the host nations, the competition generates substantial benefits to their travel and tourism revenue.
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For Qatar in 2022, gross value added to the country’s economy by World Cup visitors and broadcast revenue has been put at between $1.6 and 2.4 billion, equating to 1 percent of its yearly GDP. FIFA’s expansion to a 48-team tournament also means more teams, matches, fans, and more money.
These greater sums are, however, not just limited to the host nations, and with more finances associated with the event than ever before, those teams on the brink are desperate to cement their involvement.
For national team fans, qualification is the pinnacle of the sport. Reaching the event offers experiences like no other. But beyond euphoria and excitement, there is real value for national federations in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. The clearest direct benefit is the financial reward of competing.
Prize money for 2026 has increased by 50% compared with the previous tournament, with $727 million set to be distributed among the participating member associations. Of this, $655 million is prize money, with an additional $1.5 million paid by FIFA to teams to cover preparation costs.
The payout includes a minimum reward of $9 million for teams finishing between 33rd and 48th. Potential prize-money earnings peak at $50 million for the tournament winner.
This represents a significant financial opportunity—one that few national associations can afford to turn down. To put this into perspective, the Football Association of Wales achieved record revenue for a non-qualification year in the period up to June 2024, generating £32.4 million ($43.22 million) in turnover.
Should Wales claim one of the remaining World Cup places, the minimum prize money alone would equate to 20.8% of its total revenue from a non-men’s tournament year.
Tournament participation also creates financial opportunities beyond prize money, including increased value from existing partnerships. For many teams, at both national and club level, contracts such as kit-supplier rights include performance clauses. In Wales’s case, this could mean higher payments from its partnership with adidas.
For brands such as adidas, World Cup representation can drive higher sales and, in turn, stronger returns on investment. For other partners, World Cup participation delivers broader global visibility. Qualification for major tournaments can also strengthen future contract negotiations, including extending agreements or securing improved terms with existing partners.
There is also a more indirect cost to a national economy that is affected by a failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Italy, one of the teams involved in the remaining playoffs, have failed to qualify for the tournament since 2018, despite their strong history and financial standing in the sport.
The first of its back-to-back failures in qualification saw the Italian economy linked to a cost of €1 billion ($1.16bn). Missed revenues relate to missed opportunities in areas such as social tourism, fan excursions, and greater spending in bars and restaurants.
This is true for all these nations eyeing a spot at the World Cup. A clear example of this relates to pubs in England and Wales being granted longer opening hours for tournament matches (which include a home team). Away from the standard closing time of 11pm, pubs in these countries could stay open for as many as three extra hours, as the industry looks to capitalize/adjust to the time difference of watching live matches from North America.
FIFA expects a World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to drive economic and consumer interests beyond that of any previous tournament. It expects a tournament attendance of 6.5 million, which could drive $40.9 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Its social impact is linked to $8.3 billion in benefits, including $5.16 billion from tourism [5]. With such big numbers associated with this World Cup, the price of qualification for these final teams feels unmissable.
