France’s hopes of winning the World Cup are gone after getting thrashed by Spain in the semi-final. Yet their misery still comes with an eight-figure check. That’s because even if they lose their next match, they’ll still take home millions in prize money—and their star player Kylian Mbappé is set to give away his entire share.
The fan-favorites were beaten 2-0 by Spain last night, marking France’s worst World Cup finish since 2014. But they still have one more match to play: The team will now play for third place, facing the loser of today’s match between England and Argentina.
And that will determine exactly how much money they will win. They’re guaranteed at least $27 million if they place fourth in the competition. But if France win their next match and place third, $29 million will be up for grabs.
Although the players will take a sizable chunk of this, its 27-year-old striker Mbappé probably won’t keep any of it.
Despite being France’s all-time top goalscorer and deemed one of the “World Cup’s all-time greats,” Mbappé hasn’t received any salary from the national team since 2018.
Instead, the Gen Zer has reportedly donated every penny (or rather, euro) he has received for playing for his country to charity, including the full $500,000 he received after France last won the World Cup. That is, every match fee and every bonus.
On top of that, 30% of Mbappé’s earnings go straight to his own charity, the IBKM Foundation, which supports young people by developing educational and career opportunities. He’s estimated to earn around $90 million this year from his contract with Real Madrid, as well as sponsorship and endorsement deals with the likes of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
It’s the World Cup’s prize pot in history—and each team will receive at least $12.5 million just for competing
FIFA will distribute an $871 million pot to the 48 football (or soccer) teams competing in the 2026 World Cup—the largest payout in the competition’s history.
At the bare minimum, each of the four dozen teams will receive $12.5 million for playing in the competition, regardless of their performance: $2.5 million in “preparation money” for training camps, travel, and logistics, plus $10 million just for qualifying.
Both payouts are $1 million higher than in previous years, with reports suggesting this’s in response to the higher-than-usual cost of commuting among the three host countries: the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
And then there’s the prize money for winning ($50 million). For everyone else, the further they place, the more money they get.
According to FIFA’s website, the payouts are as follows:
- 1st place: $50 million
- 2nd place: $33 million
- 3rd place: $29 million
- 4th place: $27 million
- 5th to 8th place: $19 million
- 9th to 16th place: $15 million
- 17th to 32nd place: $11 million
- 33rd to 48th place: $9 million
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
