The 32 national teams competing at the 2018 World Cup will share $400m (344 million euros) in prize money, a 12 percent increase from the 2014 tournament, FIFA said Friday.
The purse at the previous edition in Brazil was $358m – $35m of which was awarded to champions Germany, with runners-up Argentina pocketing $25 million.
By contrast, countries who failed to advance beyond the group stage received $8 million.
At a meeting of the FIFA council in Kolkata, world football’s governing body also approved a decision to enhance the bidding regulations for the 2026 World Cup and appointed members of the bid evaluation task force.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino hailed the increase to $400 million in prize money for next year's World Cup in Russia – including $38 million for the winning team – as a sign of FIFA's success.
The $48 million increase from 2014 and toughened bid rules for the 2026 tournament were both agreed by FIFA's ruling council at the meeting.
The increase is "a positive sign in terms of the healthy financial situation of FIFA," said Infantino who took over from the scandal-tainted Sepp Blatter in February last year.
Dates for several upcoming FIFA tournaments, including next year’s Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, were also confirmed.
The 2018 Club World Cup will run from December 12 to 22, while the Women’s World Cup in 2019 is scheduled to start on June 7 with the final to take place on July 7.
