Manchester United and Liverpool are among the Premier League clubs set to benefit from a record-breaking expansion of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme.
The scheme was first introduced in relation to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with clubs receiving payments as compensation for their players participating at the the tournament.
Following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, £153 million was paid out to a total of 440 clubs from 51 FIFA member associations and six federations who had players representing on the big stage.
In March 2023, FIFA and the European Clubs Association signed a new memorandum of understanding and now it has been confirmed that the fee linked to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada has been increased by a whopping 70%.
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The programme will see a record £260 million distributed and for the first time ever, the fee will apply to any club who have released a player for World Cup qualifying or the tournament.
They will still receive a share of the pot irrespective of whether the player features for his national team.
It means there is likely to be a significant increase in clubs who stand to benefit from the compensation, as they are rewarded for developing talent for the highest level of international football.
"The enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement, as per Reuters.
A record USD 355 million will be distributed to clubs for the release of their players, and this reinforces our solid collaboration with the European Club Association and clubs worldwide as we all look forward to a groundbreaking and globally inclusive edition of the FIFA World Cup next year.”
Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of Paris Saint-Germain and the ECA Chairman hailed the initiative, which he believes is key for "the ongoing growth of the global club game".
He said: "At ECA we are pleased to have collaborated with FIFA to support the development of this innovative new FIFA Club Benefits Programme. It will ensure even more clubs across the world are rewarded for releasing players and highlights exactly how ECA’s Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA supports the ongoing growth of the global club game.
"Clubs play a pivotal role in the success of national team football and this initiative recognises every element of it, from early development through to release for the most important games. We look forward to continuing to work closely with FIFA, and the global football community, to ensure we keep driving growth and development of international football."
Topics: Manchester City, Liverpool, FIFA, FIFA World Cup, Premier League
Josh Lawless