How much money did clubs receive for having players at the 2022 World Cup? | OneFootball

The 2022/23 league season across the world was unusual in many respects because of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

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Domestic competitions paused for a few weeks as 32 nations attempted to win football’s biggest prize.

Although some teams would have been frustrated about their seasons coming to a temporary halt, some club executives would have had one eye on their bank accounts as they waved goodbye to players departing for World Cup duty.

That is because clubs received a payment from football’s world governing body, FIFA, for sending players to the tournament, with the amount depending on how many players they send and how long each player remains there.

How does it all work?

The payments are a part of FIFA's "Club Benefits Programme", with all the information published in a report.

On their official website, FIFA describes how the system was designed to recognise the contribution that clubs across the world make in helping football stage the World Cup.

Compensation was paid not only to the club from which the player was released but also to any club that the player has represented in the two years prior to the World Cup.

So, in the case of Jack Grealish, money would have been paid to his current club, Manchester City, but also to his former club, Aston Villa.

How much money was paid out and how is each payment calculated?

For the Qatar World Cup, FIFA write on their website that they distributed $209 million (£160.9 million) among all six confederations in football.

That pot was split among 440 clubs, with a total of 837 players earning their side money while at the tournament.

But how are the funds distributed?

Well, the answer depends on exactly how long a player is in the tournament.

Clubs are paid a total of $10,950 (£8,429) per player for every day that they are at the tournament.

That time period begins when they are released for international duty and ends after their final match of the World Cup.

FIFA add that payment does not depend on minutes played, and that clubs are still paid for players who made the final squad and were then replaced because of an injury.

How was the money split among each confederation and the different associations?

European clubs received the biggest share of the fund, and by quite some way too.

UEFA collected a whopping 76% of the fund, which totals at around £122.3 million, after sending 13 out of the 32 teams to the tournament.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) collected the second most, way behind with just 11% of the pot (£18.31 million), and CONCACAF then followed in third with just 8% of the pot (£12.87 million).

In terms of which association received the most funds within those confederations, the English FA received by far and away the biggest share of the money, collecting $37.7 million (£29.03 million), roughly 18% of the total pot.

Behind them were the Spanish Football Association, which received $24.40m (£18.78 million), and then Germany’s $21m (£16.17 million).

Despite France advancing to the final of the competition, their football association only received the fifth-largest sum of money (£16.17 million).

They came in behind Italy, who were not even at the World Cup. Yet the FIGC still collected $18.7 million (£14.4 million).

Which English team collected the most money?

So, with the English FA collecting the most money out of any other football association, which English club in the country received the most cash thanks to the World Cup?

Well, unsurprisingly, the bigger teams dominate the rankings.

Manchester City topped the table for most cash earned, after sending 16 players to the competition.

They benefited massively from Julian Alvarez, who was there for the entire duration of the tournament and lifted the trophy with Argentina.

They also had numerous quarter-finalists, with the likes of Ederson, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake all getting to the last eight with Brazil, England, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Behind them were Manchester United who received $3.33 million (£2.51 million), which was just fractionally more than Chelsea, who received $3.25 million (£2.51 million).

The Red Devils sent 14 players to the World Cup in the end, including Cristiano Ronaldo who would leave the club after the tournament and join Al-Nassr.

Chelsea, meanwhile, sent a total of 15 players to the tournament, and they would benefit from both Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech advancing to the semi-finals with Croatia and Morocco respectively.

On the flip side, four teams collected less than half a million between them.

Bournemouth were bottom of the table, receiving just £300,000 from FIFA for the two Welsh players that they sent to Qatar, Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore.

They were behind Southampton, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds, who all earned less than £500,000.

Where did Man City rank compared to other teams across the world?

City’s total payout not only means that they received the most cash in the Premier League but also more than any other club in the world.

Their $4.596 million (£3.54 million) was more than second-placed Barcelona, who collected $4,538 million (£3.49 million).

Interestingly, both teams managed to collect the most amount of cash despite not having the most players in the final.

Barcelona had Jules Kounde and Ousmane Dembele lining up for France, while City only had Alvarez representing Argentina.

Both teams simply benefitted from sending the first and second most players to the tournament. Barcelona sent 17 while City sent 16.

The latter actually sent as many as German giants Bayern Munich, who earned the third most from the pot.

Bayern's total earnings benefited from having four players in the final of the tournament, with Kingsley Coman, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, and Lucas Hernandez all helping to bring a significant chunk of money home.

However, Germany, Canada, and Cameroon’s early eliminations meant that they only had seven players in the latter stages, which likely played a role in them collecting less money than both City and Barca.

Spanish giants Real Madrid earned the fourth-most money thanks to their players, a total of $3.836 million (£2.95 million).

Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Karim Benzema were at the tournament for the maximum amount of time with France, while Luka Modric also earned Los Blancos a healthy sum by getting to the semi-finals with Croatia.

And Paris Saint-Germain complete the top five, earning a total of $3.835 million (£2.95 million) largely because of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Achraf Hakimi all advancing to the semi-finals at least.

The current Ligue 1 champions sent a total of 11 players to the tournament, with Costa Rica’s Keylor Navas the only one who failed to escape the group stages.