Celtic set £1.5m-plus payout from FIFA – here’s why

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Celtic are one of the clubs in line to receive a payout from FIFA thanks to the 2026 World Cup.

The Hoops are likely to have a host of players competing at the World Cup, with the likes of Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney and Sebastian Tounekti all set to represent their nations.

As is customary, there will be a chance for Celtic to earn some extra cash as a result of the FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme and finance expert Adam Williams has explained to 67 Hail Hail what the scheme is, and the amount that the Hoops could receive.

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What is the FIFA Club Benefits Programme?

Williams explained how FIFA have been investing more money into the game and clubs from all over the globe are going to benefit.

“FIFA’s financial flows into the club game have been trending upwards for a while now, and they’re starting to become more meaningful in aggregate,” he said. “The recent Club World Cup is a good illustration: around £750m was paid out in prize money to participating sides, while roughly £200m was carved out separately to be shared among clubs who didn’t take part.

“Running alongside that is the Club Benefits Programme. In simple terms, it’s a compensation mechanism -clubs are paid for the time their players spend away on international duty in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

“These kinds of schemes don’t emerge in isolation. They’ve been driven, to a large extent, by sustained pressure from the European Club Association, which now operates under the name European Football Clubs. Incidentally, Peter Lawwell still sits on the board of that organisation, despite having left Celtic.

“One area where that influence is visible is the size of the Club Benefits pot. The daily compensation rate has historically sat at about £8,000 per player, but FIFA has now committed to increasing the overall fund by roughly 70 per cent.”

How much Celtic could receive for World Cup player participation

With as many as 10 players in line to get call-ups for this summer’s tournament, there is a chance that the Hoops could be in line to pocket over £1m.

He added: “On the face of it, that doesn’t move the needle much for a club like Celtic, given their £144m annual revenue. The multiplier effect is what matters, though.

“If you take a typical international window and project it onto a World Cup scenario, Celtic could feasibly have around 10 players involved. Even assuming all of them exit at the group stage, you’re still looking at the best part of two weeks of player payments.

“That’s where the numbers begin to stack up, potentially nudging towards £2m. In practice, it will likely come in below that level, as some of the uplift will almost certainly be absorbed by the expanded 58-team tournament rather than feeding entirely into higher day rates. But even so, you’re still looking at a seven-figure sum – probably £1.5m or more – with clear upside if those players progress further into the competition.”