ZURICH (DA) — Curaçao’s historic first World Cup qualification will now bring a bigger financial reward after the FIFA Council approved a record increase in money distributed to all 48 participating member associations at the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA said the total financial distribution for the tournament will rise by a further 15% to USD 871 million, nearly USD 900 million.
For Curaçao, the increase means preparation money will rise from USD 1.5 million to USD 2.5 million, while qualification money will increase from USD 9 million to USD 10 million. That lifts Curaçao’s preparation and qualification money to USD 12.5 million before any additional team contributions or performance-based earnings.
The increased package also includes additional team contributions, subsidies for team delegation costs and increased team ticketing allocations totaling more than USD 16 million.
The FIFA Council met before the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, 44 days before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
“FIFA is proud to be in its most solid financial position ever, enabling us to help all our Member Associations in an unprecedented way,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “This is one more example of how FIFA’s resources are reinvested back into the game.”
For Curaçao, the decision adds another major layer to a breakthrough campaign. The national team’s qualification already secured its place on soccer’s biggest stage. The new financial package now gives the country a larger guaranteed platform to support preparation, logistics and participation at the expanded tournament.
FIFA said the balance of revenues will continue to be redistributed into global football for the benefit of and through all 211 member associations.
The FIFA Council also approved competition-related changes for the 2026 World Cup. Single yellow cards will be cancelled after the group stage and then again after the quarterfinals, reflecting the expanded format with an extra knockout round.
The tournament will also apply law changes involving players leaving the field in direct protest at a referee’s decision and players covering their mouths when speaking to opponents in confrontational situations.
The Council also amended FIFA Governance Regulations to allow the Afghan Women’s Refugee Team to compete in official FIFA competitions.
Curaçao will play its Group E matches against Germany on June 14 at Houston Stadium, Ecuador on June 20 at Kansas City Stadium and Côte d’Ivoire on June 25 at Philadelphia Stadium.