Frequently Asked Questions

The programme is an initiative that was designed to recognise the contribution that football clubs make in the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup™. The programme ensures that clubs are financially rewarded with a share of the benefits from the tournament. This amount is subsequently distributed through the member associations to clubs that released the participating players.

The programme was established ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with a provision made in the institutional agreement signed between FIFA and the European Club Association.

As part of its commitment to recognising the contribution that football clubs make to the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Club Benefits Programme will see USD 209 million distributed to clubs across the world.

The same amount was distributed following the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.

In comparison, the share of benefits for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ was USD 70 million, which was an increase from USD 40 million allocated for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

Clubs must first register through the programme, with 2022 being the first time clubs were able to apply digitally through the FIFA Professional Football Landscape.

Further details were made available via circular 1812.

If a club registers for the programme, it does not automatically mean that it is eligible to receive a share of the benefits. To reward the clubs for releasing players, the club with which the player was registered during the FIFA World Cup, as well as the clubs with which the player was registered during the qualification phase, are eligible. Only these clubs will be entitled to receive a share of the USD 209.

The distribution amount (a gross amount of USD 209 million for Qatar 2022™) is divided by the total number of days played by all the players at Qatar 2022 (around 19,080 days) which results in an equal amount per player per day of USD 10,950 (USD 209m divided by 19,080 days) subject to any taxes and deductions.

This amount is then multiplied by the number of days each player is at the final competition of the World Cup (starting from the release of players for the tournament and ending on the day following the last match of his representative team), to arrive at the total per player per day. It is important to note that it is not relevant whether the player actually played any minutes in any game, meaning that all the players from the same representative team will have the same total per player per day, independently of how many minutes were played.

Further details are available in FIFA Circular no. 1844

A total of 440 clubs from 51 member associations representing all confederations will benefit from the Club Benefits Programme following the release of 837 players.

Any payments the club is entitled to receive under the programme will be distributed via the member association to which the club is affiliated after the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup™.

Yes. FIFA and the European Club Association signed a renewed memorandum of understanding in March 2023, according to which the Club Benefits Programme will now increase to USD 355 million for the 2026 and 2030 editions of the FIFA World Cup™.