FIFA have announced a new £260m boost to clubs across the world, including Celtic.
The 2026 World Cup qualifiers are in full swing at the moment, with a number of Celtic stars representing their countries this month.
The finals will be held next summer in the USA, Canada and Mexico and a number of Hoops stars will be doing their all to make it there.
Celtic have always benefitted financially from FIFA via their Club Benefits Programme if players are released to play World Cup qualifiers and the World Cup proper.
Around £153m was paid out to clubs for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and finals, but FIFA have now confirmed a massive increase.
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FIFA increase Club Benefits Programme pot to £260m
As reported by Sky Sports, FIFA have increased the Club Benefits Programme pot by 70%. It means a whopping £260m will be shared between clubs who have players competing in qualifiers and the finals.
So in essence, any Celtic player who featured for their country during the two-year qualification phase and/or the finals will earn the club more money.
FIFA won’t be able to calculate the per day, per player figure until after the 2026 finals, but a 70% increase to the pot means Celtic can earn more cash.
How much did Celtic earn from 2022 World Cup?
For the 2022 World Cup qualifying and finals phases, Celtic raked in $10,950 per day, per player, with the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda contributing among others.
In total, Celtic earned $664,326 from FIFA. The per day, per player figure for Celtic will likely rise, but the total raked in depends on how far players progress in the tournament.
FIFA explain how the process actually works: “The compensation mechanism was designed to reward all clubs equally and transparently for the time that their registered players spend at the FIFA World Cup.
“The total amount allocated for the FIFA Club Benefits Programme is divided by the total number of days spent at the tournament by all the players involved. This equation produces a “per player, per day” figure that can be used to calculate the benefits owed.
“The daily participation figure is then multiplied by the number of days that a player spends at the tournament, which comprises the period from his release for the competition to the date of his national team’s last match.
“Therefore, the further a national team progress at the tournament, the more that team’s players will earn for their respective clubs. All players within a national-team squad are allocated an equal benefit amount, irrespective of their playing time at the competition.
“The total amount allocated to the Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ was USD 209 million. This sum was divided by the total number of participation days to arrive at a rounded figure of USD 10,950 per player, per day owed to clubs.”
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