England’s footballers and coaching staff stand to gain approximately half of the FA’s £38 million FIFA prize fund as bonuses should they secure victory in the World Cup.
Sources indicate that under a bonus agreement reached with the players’ leadership group prior to the tournament, the FA plans to distribute around £15 million to the squad, £3 million to manager Thomas Tuchel, and roughly £1 million to his coaching team if Harry Kane lifts the trophy in New York next weekend.
This potential bonus pool is more than double what the team could have earned had they won the World Cup four years ago in Qatar.
Insiders reveal that Tuchel’s squad owes part of this financial boost to their female counterparts. The England Lionesses had made headlines with their dispute against the FA prior to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, stemming from disagreements over a bonus scheme. Initially, the governing body was hesitant to offer additional incentives on top of the individual prize money provided by FIFA, which amounted to £200,000 for the winners.
That issue was resolved after the tournament, during which England was defeated in the final by Spain. Following the Lionesses’ receipt of substantial bonuses, the FA has increased the financial opportunities available to the men’s team, who are also benefiting from FIFA’s significant expansion of prize money allocated to national associations.
The total prize money has risen by 50% from the 2022 tournament to $655 million (£488 million), although this sum must be divided among 48 associations rather than 32, with the champions receiving $50 million, a rise from $32 million four years earlier.
The FA is already assured around $19 million because of England’s advancement to the quarter-finals, with about half of that amount set to be distributed to players and staff regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Norway.
The precise distribution of bonuses among players will depend on their playing time, but if shared equally, it would translate to around £577,000 per player.
Additionally, players are entitled to an appearance fee of £2,000 for each match, which, due to a landmark agreement, is donated to charity. Consequently, over £5 million has been raised for charitable causes through the England Footballers Foundation since 2007.
The FA has been contacted for comments.
