FIFA World Cup 2026 Prize Money: Full List Of Winners After Spain Beat Argentina In Final
When the referee blew the final whistle in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday, Spain walked off with the trophy while Argentine football icon Lionel Messi simply walked off in tears.
- Spain beat Argentina in FIFA WC final to clinch their second title. La Roja got USD 50 million prize money
- Argentina received USD 33 million. 3rd-placed England got USD 29 million, while France got USD 27 million
- Rodri won the Golden Ball while Kylian Mbappe bagged the Golden Boot
When the referee blew the final whistle in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday, Spain walked off with the trophy while Argentine football icon Lionel Messi simply walked off in tears. La Roja are back atop the football world for a second time after Ferran Torres' first goal of this year's World Cup, unquestionably the goal of his life, gave his country a 1-0 win over now-dethroned champions Argentina in the summit clash at New York New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, in the United States.
"It was a goal scored by 47 million people," Torres said, referring to Spain's population. Maybe not by them, but certainly for them.
The goal came with Argentina down to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez was sent off late in regulation following a reckless tackle. Tempers flared then, and flared again after the final whistle, with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and players from both sides engaging in what appeared to be some pushing and shoving.
In the end, Spain denied Messi a second straight title in what he has indicated was his final World Cup match. Torres, a second-half substitute, pounced on a bouncing ball in the box and used his left foot to bury a shot just under the crossbar in the 106th minute.
From there, the airtight defence that dominated opponents throughout the tournament came through one final time. Spain, which also won the title in 2010, allowed only one goal in eight matches during this World Cup run, setting a record for the fewest goals conceded by a champion.
FIFA World Cup 2026 prize money
The FIFA Council had approved a record-breaking financial contribution of USD 727 million for the mega event last year. Out of this, USD 655 million was allocated as prize money among the 48 participating teams. This marked a 50% increase in prize money compared to the previous edition. Here's the distribution:
Champions: Spain - USD 50 million
Runners-up: Argentina - USD 33 million
3rd place: England - USD 29 million
4th place: France - USD 27 million
Prize money for rest of the positions
5th-8th place: USD 19 million
9th-16th place: USD 15 million
17th- 32nd place: USD 11 million
33rd-48th place: USD 9 million
List of awardees
Golden Ball: Rodri (Spain)
Silver Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Bronze Ball: Kylian Mbappe (France)
Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappe (France)
Silver Boot: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Bronze Boot: Jude Bellingham (England)
Golden Glove: Unai Simon (Spain)
FIFA Young Player Award: Pau Cubarsi (Spain)
FIFA Fair Play Trophy: The Netherlands
(With AP Inputs)
Spain
Argentina