Leeds United are among a huge number of clubs who could be eligible for the cash boost.
Leeds United will be eligible to receive financial compensation from FIFA when releasing players for the World Cup qualifiers and next summer’s World Cup finals..
FIFA announced a ground-breaking agreement on Tuesday afternoon, committing to share £260million between clubs who release their stars for upcoming qualifiers and next year’s finals, which are to take place across the USA, Canada and Mexico. For the first time ever, Leeds and others will be compensated when releasing players for qualifiers even if they do not make it to the showpiece event next summer.
The Club Benefits Programme shared £153m between 440 clubs for releasing players during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with the new £260m cash pot representing a massive 70 per cent increase in available funds. No official breakdown has been provided but as compensation back in 2022, FIFA are believed to have paid out around £9,000 per player per day, with Premier League clubs receiving between £3.5m (Manchester City) and £300,000 (Bournemouth).
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said of the agreement: “The enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament.”
Leeds United set for FIFA cash boost
European Club Association (ECA) Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: "At ECA we are pleased to have collaborated with FIFA to support the development of this innovative new FIFA Club Benefits Programme. It will ensure even more clubs across the world are rewarded for releasing players and highlights exactly how ECA’s Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA supports the ongoing growth of the global club game.
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"Clubs play a pivotal role in the success of national team football and this initiative recognises every element of it, from early development through to release for the most important games. We look forward to continuing to work closely with FIFA, and the global football community, to ensure we keep driving growth and development of international football."
Leeds will expect to be represented at next summer’s World Cup, with Brenden Aaronson still vying for a place in the USMNT squad while Ao Tanaka’s Japan have also already qualified. Dan James, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Karl Darlow are part of a Wales squad currently in qualifying while Jaka Bijol’s Slovenia, Ilia Gruev’s Bulgaria and Gabriel Gudmundsson's Sweden are also fighting for a spot.
As per the new agreement, Leeds already look set to receive compensation for releasing those aforementioned players during the qualification campaign, which continued earlier this month. They would also be set for cash if the likes of Anton Stach or Noah Okafor receive call-ups for Switzerland and Germany, respectively.
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