The 2026 World Cup ended in glory for Spain as they defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in a dramatic final, with Enzo Fernandez sent off for the losing side.
Alexis Mac Allister and Argentina fell short in their bid to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962. His new Liverpool teammate Victor Munoz was part of Spain’s victorious squad, although he did not feature during the tournament.
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The pair were among eight Liverpool players involved at the finals, and with all progressing beyond the group stage, their returns to Merseyside have been delayed.
However, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and the Dutch trio of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo could now be close to joining Andoni Iraola’s squad.
All five players were eliminated in the round of 32 on June 29 and 30. According to The Athletic, FIFA will distribute $355million (£265m) to clubs that released players for the 2026 World Cup, a 70% increase from previous tournaments.
Clubs will receive around $5,000 per player per day based on their involvement in the tournament. Manchester City are set to top the payments for the third consecutive World Cup, with an estimated $4.4million (£3.3m).
City benefited from six players reaching the final stages of the tournament, including Rayan Cherki, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly, John Stones and James Trafford.
Barcelona are second in the rankings with an estimated $3.9million (£2.92million), while Arsenal are the highest-earning English club after City, receiving around $3.3million (£2.46million)
Crystal Palace, who had 12 players involved at the finals, are the Premier League’s third-highest earners with an estimated $2.7million (£2million), while Sunderland rank sixth among English clubs and 13th overall with $2.2 million (£1.66million).
Liverpool are expected to receive approximately $2.2million (£1.66million), ranking 15th among clubs. Premier League teams contributed around 13% of the 1,248 players at the World Cup, the highest proportion of any league, and are set to receive the largest share of FIFA’s compensation payments.