The Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will be something to watch. However, more than just glory, the players are also going for more money. How does that compare, for instance, to what the 2026 FIFA World Cup will pay the winners?
The NFL pays bonuses to the players, rather than the whole franchise itself. As set by the NFL collective bargaining agreement, the players from the Super Bowl winners will earn a $178,000 bonus. As for the losing team’s players, they will earn $103,000 to apeace their sporting grief. This represents a $7,000 increase from last year.
In contrast, the 2026 FIFA World Cup pays per team not per player, with the champion bagging a whopping $50 million and the runners-up a $33 million prize. Not all that money goes to the players though, as each team’s federation also keeps plenty of the money. Still, it’s presumed that players earn way more than what the Super Bowl winners collect, with estimations going from the $500 thousand to $1 million per player.
How much does the Club World Cup and UEFA Champions League pay?
According to Statista, the winners of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup winners received $40 million. The teams can earn other incentives based on performances. There were up to $85 million in cumulative bonuses as well.
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA.
The UEFA Champions League is regarded as one of the biggest club competitions in the world. However, the winner only bags $29.4 million to win the tournament. Still, this tournament also has incentives based on how far a team goes. This means that in the end, the winners earn way more than just the prize for winning the tournament.
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Not every Super Bowl winner earns the full bonus though
To collect the $178,000 bonus players must:
- Played at least three previous games during the regular season or playoffs and be on the team’s active or inactive list when the Super Bowl is played.
- Played at least eight previous games (regular season or postseason), regardless of whether the player is on the active/inactive list or not.
- Be a veteran player who was injured during the regular season, but is still under contract with the team.
Players will get 50% of the bonus if:
- The player appeared in fewer than three previous games during the regular season or playoffs and is on the team’s active or inactive list when the Super Bowl is played.
- The player is not on the active/inactive list, but played between three and seven games during the regular season or playoffs.
- The player is a first-year player who was injured during the regular season, but are still under contract.
