FIFA has confirmed separate preparation payments of $2.5 million per participating association, while a decision on the reported prize target is expected in December 2026.
FIFA is targeting a $220 million prize fund for Brazil’s 2027 Women’s World Cup, the Guardian said, citing Sky News. That would double the $110 million fund in 2023, but FIFA has not confirmed the allocation.
In 2023, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the organisation’s ambition was equality in prize money for the 2027 women’s tournament. The reported target would fall short of matching the men’s fund even after accounting for the different number of teams.
Analysis
Dividing each fund by its tournament’s team count gives the following comparison. These averages are not the prize awards individual teams receive.
| Tournament | Prize fund | Teams | Fund divided by team count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 men’s World Cup | $655 million | 48 | Approximately $13.646 million |
| 2027 Women’s World Cup | $220 million reported target | 32 |
Each of the 32 teams at Brazil 2027 will receive $2.5 million, while FIFA guarantees business-class or charter flights and an individual hotel room for every player.
| $6.875 million |
Equal funding on a per-team basis would require approximately $436.7 million for the women’s tournament, calculated as $655 million × 32/48. The reported target remains below that threshold.
In October 2026, FIFA confirmed separate preparation payments of $2.5 million per participating national association, matching the 2026 men’s tournament. FIFA’s Bureau of the Council approved the financial-distribution principles.
The approved principles also include higher minimum guaranteed payments to players, enhancements to the FIFA Club Benefits Programme and increased distributions to national teams taking part in qualification. FIFA says any surplus from the women’s tournament will go to participating associations, with a specific amount set aside for players.
The Guardian’s sourced account linked the prize-money decision to the commercial income the 2027 tournament is expected to generate. It said senior FIFA officials were understood to have discussed wider investment in women’s football with leading female players. FIFA did not comment when the newspaper contacted it.
The newspaper described differing anonymous reactions: some sources familiar with the negotiations privately praised the increase, while one senior female source called it a “huge missed open goal” by FIFA.
FIFA says the preparation funds will be available before December 2026, and further financial-distribution details are due for discussion at that month’s FIFA Council meeting. The Guardian expects no prize-fund decision to be confirmed until that meeting.
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