"Up to 390 Million Won for Advancing to the Round of 16"... Football Association Sets Record World Cup Rewards

The Korea Football Association has set the largest-ever reward for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup. Players on the final national team roster can receive up to 390 million won in rewards if they advance to the Round of 16.

On May 25, the Korea Football Association officially announced the criteria for rewards and support for the national soccer team squad participating in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals.

The base allowance has been increased by 2.5 times compared to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. All 26 players on the final roster will each receive a base allowance of 50 million won. During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the base allowance was 20 million won per player.

National football team players participating in the 2026 North American World Cup are taking a commemorative photo at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the 18th before departing for Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, where the pre-training camp will be held. Photo by Yonhap News

The rewards will also increase at each stage if the team advances past the group stage to the knockout phase. In the Qatar tournament, rewards were 100 million won for the Round of 16, 200 million won for the quarterfinals, and 500 million won for winning the championship. For the North and Central America World Cup, all reward amounts have been raised across every stage. After passing the group stage, the reward increases by 100 million won for each subsequent knockout round. Specifically, 100 million won for the Round of 32, 200 million won for the Round of 16, 300 million won for the quarterfinals, 400 million won for the semifinals, 450 million won for third place, 500 million won for the runner-up, and 600 million won for winning the championship.

The system for match victory bonuses has also changed. Previously, a flat 30 million won was paid for every victory regardless of the round. From this tournament, however, a differentiated reward system will apply for the group stage and knockout rounds.

In the group stage, a win will earn a player 30 million won, and a draw will earn 10 million won. In the knockout rounds, the victory bonuses are cumulative and increase with each stage: 50 million won for a Round of 32 win, 80 million won for a Round of 16 win, 140 million won for a quarterfinal win, 200 million won for a semifinal win, and 300 million won for a win in the final.

If the national team wins all three group-stage matches and advances to the Round of 16, achieving their best-ever away World Cup performance, each player could receive up to 390 million won, combining the base allowance, victory bonuses, and rewards. If they reach the quarterfinals, the total amount could rise to as much as 580 million won per player.

In addition to the rewards, the Association will operate a "team family invitation support program" to help motivate players and provide psychological stability.

Accordingly, all 26 players will be provided with two double-occupancy hotel rooms per player in the host city. To allow families to watch every match from the first group stage game to the team's final match, each player will be given two first-class air tickets per match for their family members. Additionally, to ensure the team maintains optimal condition, a chartered flight will be arranged from the pre-training camp in Salt Lake City, USA, to Guadalajara, Mexico, the venue for the first and second group-stage matches.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.