$4.5m to be paid to the clubs of the Scottish World Cup Squad
The distribution principles for the 2026 club benefits programme have been released
In a circular letter sent to all FIFA member associations, FIFA has outlined how the Club Benefits Programme will work this summer.
FIFA: “The new system and distribution model are intended to be more inclusive and solidarity-driven by increasing the number of clubs that benefit from the Programme.”
For the 2026 World Cup, clubs will receive less for player participation in the tournament than they would have in previous years - because qualifying matches are now included for the first time. This means the overall pot will be split between more clubs, as more players and matches are now covered. These numbers are broadly as expected, after an SPFL club spoke to me for an article about Lawrence Shankland signing for Rangers two weeks ago, stating that the $10,950 per player per day fee from the last World Cup would be much reduced.
This article will explain the distribution principles before ending with graphics detailing the expected payments, for the clubs of both the Scotland squad and the SPFL at large.
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Following UEFA’s lead
For the first time, FIFA’s programme now compensates clubs for players released for World Cup qualifiers. Previously, payments were linked only to the tournament itself.
In 2025, UEFA revealed that €2.79m flowed to Scottish clubs for the previous four-year cycle, from Celtic through to Dunfermline.
These were payments to cover the qualifiers and tournaments for the Euros & Nations League.
Both the UEFA equivalent and the FIFA programme have grown over the last 10-15 years, meaning more money filtering down to the clubs that actually pay the national team players. A bigger pot allows for qualifying matches to be included, ensuring more clubs are compensated for releasing their players for international football. Last year, 901 clubs benefited from the UEFA payment, sharing in a record €233m.
A larger FIFA pot
Like UEFA, it will be a record year of ‘club benefits’ payments for FIFA, with the 2026 pot increasing by nearly 70% to hit $355m. This is substantial growth from the $70m pot just 12 years ago.
However, as FIFA is now - for the first time - compensating clubs for releasing their players for qualifiers, this won’t actually result in an increase in tournament payments this summer.
The $355m pot will be split as follows:
