Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Luke Thrower

Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham set for transfer windfall increase after new FIFA rule change

FIFA have announced a huge 75 per cent increase to their Club Benefit Programme that pays clubs for releasing their players during the World Cup internationals. The new amount now sits at $355million [£290million] to distribute across the globe as preparations begin for the 2026 version of the tournament.

The competition is set to be hosted in north America between Canada, Mexico and the United States, boasting an expanded format from 30 teams to 48. This will increase the number of matches from 64 to 104, with the change resulting in the inflation of the programme designed to incentivise the release of players for international games.

Over the course of the previous World Cup in November and December of last year, a number of teams received compensation in the millions for their squad's involvement. The Daily Mail reports that Manchester City benefitted the most with as much as £4.5million hitting their pockets through their 16 players on duty.

READ MORE: Reece James and Ben Chilwell react as Chelsea teammate signs new contract before summer exit

London rivals Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham all join Manchester United in the top five from the English division. The Blues are said to have earned £2.46million, beating the Gunners' £2.1million and Spurs' £2.32million in total as all three sides had more than ten representatives in the competition.

With such an increase in the pool for 2026, but more nations and teams to distribute it amongst, it remains to be seen how the money will be divided. However, it seems as though it is set to be a boost for those sides that they will start to receive from the qualifiers in 2025 onwards.

A statement from FIFA reads: "The Club Benefits Programme, which compensates all clubs who release players for the men's World Cup, will now increase from $209 million for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments."

While FIFA president Gianni Infantino added: "This is a significant day for the future of football and its long-term stability. We are very happy to renew and strengthen our cooperation agreement with ECA, an important stakeholder representing clubs from all over Europe."

READ NEXT:

Havertz, James, Sterling: Chelsea injury news and return dates ahead of Aston Villa clash

Reece James and Ben Chilwell react as Chelsea teammate signs new contract before summer exit

Graham Potter sacked, Champions League winners: Pundits predict Chelsea end of season outcome

Chelsea owners Clearlake Capital make mega $4bn takeover move

Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.