England may have missed out on a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, but the Three Lions still ended their tournament with a bronze medal – and a substantial financial reward.
The team earned $29 million in prize money after defeating France 6–4 in a dramatic third-place playoff at Miami Stadium on July 18.
France received $27 million for finishing fourth, meaning England’s victory was worth an additional $2 million to the Football Association.
The prize is paid by FIFA to the country’s national football association rather than being divided automatically among the 26 players and coaching staff. Any individual payments will depend on the bonus arrangements previously agreed between the FA, the squad and manager.
England’s bronze-medal match delivered plenty of drama as the two European rivals produced a remarkable ten-goal contest.
Declan Rice opened the scoring for England, although the momentum shifted repeatedly as France fought their way back into the match. Kylian Mbappé was seen celebrating after scoring France’s third goal, while Rice appeared visibly frustrated as the contest continued to swing between the two sides.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesEngland ultimately emerged with a 6-4 victory, allowing the players to finish the tournament on a high following their 2–1 semifinal defeat to Argentina.
France had fallen to a 2–0 loss against Spain in the other semifinal, setting up the bronze-medal encounter one day before Argentina and Spain met in the tournament’s showpiece final.
FIFA approved a record $655 million prize fund for the 2026 World Cup – a 50 per cent increase from the tournament staged in Qatar four years earlier.
© Getty ImagesThe expanded 48-team competition guaranteed a significant payment to every participating country, including those that failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Teams eliminated during the opening phase received $9 million, while nations reaching the round of 32 collected $11 million. Round-of-16 teams earned $15 million and each quarter-finalist received $19 million.
The 2026 World Cup champions will collect a record $50 million, while the runners-up will receive $33 million.
By comparison, Argentina earned $42 million after winning the 2022 tournament, while Croatia received $27 million for beating Morocco in that year’s third-place playoff.
2026 World Cup prize-money breakdown
Champion: $50 million
Runner-up: $33 million
Third place: $29 million – England
Fourth place: $27 million – France
Fifth to eighth place: $19 million each
Ninth to 16th place: $15 million each
17th to 32nd place: $11 million each
33rd to 48th place: $9 million each
Read the full article here
