FIFA has increased payments to teams competing in the 2026 World Cup, making it the most lucrative edition on record. The increase comes amid criticism over FIFA's ticket pricing and its commercial partnerships. Participating football associations will each receive an additional $2 million under a new financial distribution structure. The total payout for each team will be at least $12.5 million upon qualification, with additional prize money tied to performance in the tournament. The 2026 edition of the World Cup will be the largest-ever, expanding to 48 teams, up from 32 in 2022. Despite criticism over ticket prices, demand for tickets remains high, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino stating that the organization has received around 508 million requests for the seven million tickets on offer across the tournament's 104 matches.