FIFA Council Meets in Vancouver, Approves 15% Increase in Contributions to National Teams
The FIFA Council, held in Vancouver, has officially approved a 15% increase in contributions to the 48 national teams competing in the next World Cup. This decision comes amidst unprecedented economic prosperity for the global football governing body.
The highly anticipated tournament, set to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has reached a new milestone in its financial dimension. The initial budget announced in December last year stood at $727 million, but it has now been increased to a record $871 million. This significant budget boost is a direct result of the exceptional commercial success of the expanded tournament format.
This generosity translates into concrete increases in resources allocated to each stage of the competition. Preparation funds for each federation have risen from $1.5 to $2.5 million, while the qualification bonus has increased from $9 to $10 million. In addition, supplementary aid exceeding $16 million will be provided to cover logistical costs for delegations and increase the allocation of tickets for supporters of each nation. For comparison, the future World Cup champion will receive a $50 million bonus, a 50% increase from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has welcomed this outstanding financial health, which enables the institution to anticipate record revenues of $13 billion over the current four-year cycle. According to the president, this solidity constitutes a unique lever to support football development within member federations.
On the technical and regulatory front, the Council has also validated adjustments to address the challenges of expanding to 48 teams. The yellow card system has been reformed: individual warnings will now be erased after the group stage and again after the quarterfinals. In a bid to strengthen sports ethics, new directives have been adopted unanimously to sanction discriminatory behavior. A team whose actions lead to the definitive interruption of a match will now be considered the loser by default.
Finally, the institutional and financial landscape of the organization is taking shape with the opening of the electoral period for the FIFA presidency on April 30, 2026, ahead of a scheduled vote at the 2027 Congress. It is within this strengthened institutional and financial framework that the Tunisian national team is preparing to face the challenge of Group F, where they will face the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden in the group stage.
