How FIFA Makes and Spends Money During the World Cup

The World Cup has always been the main source of revenue for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). During the period 2011 - 2014, the World Cup contributed up to 85% of the agency's revenue.

According to the financial report, FIFA earned $4.8 billion from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Of that, $2.43 billion was from television rights alone. The second largest source of revenue was marketing rights, with $1.53 billion. During the tournament in Brazil, ticket sales were $350 million. This was FIFA's third largest source of revenue. They also earned nearly $300 million from other types of rights.

This year, FIFA is expected to earn $6 billion in revenue from 2015 to 2018, mainly thanks to the World Cup in Russia.

Meanwhile, the total cost of the 2014 World Cup was $2.2 billion, mainly spent on participating teams, federations and television production. Thus, FIFA made a profit of $2.6 billion from this event. If we count the period 2011 - 2014 as a whole, their profit was $338 million.

Previous World Cups have also brought in huge profits for FIFA. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa helped FIFA earn a profit of 631 million USD in the 2007-2010 period, overcoming the global financial crisis. Previously, the 2006 World Cup also brought in 700 million USD in profit for the organization in the 2003-2006 period.

This year, FIFA is forecast to earn $6 billion in revenue from 2015 to 2018, mainly thanks to the World Cup in Russia. This figure is higher than the target of $5.6 billion. Profits for this period will also reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

FIFA plans to spend $791 million in prize money for this year's World Cup, up 40% from the previous World Cup. Of that, $400 million will go to the 32 participating teams, while $391 million will go to cover other expenses.

Each team will receive at least $8 million for qualifying for the World Cup finals. If they reach the round of 16, they will receive another $4 million. If they reach the quarterfinals, that number is increased by another $4 million. In total, the champion team will receive $38 million, the runner-up will receive $28 million, the third place team will receive $24 million, and the fourth place team will receive $22 million.

The remaining $391 million will be spent on three major items. First, preparation money for the teams - all 32 participating teams will receive $1.5 million each. Second, support money for football clubs with players competing in the World Cup - $209 million. Third, $134 million in compensation for clubs if they suffer losses when their players are injured during the World Cup.

However, compared to other football tournaments in the world, the prize money that the World Cup gives to the teams is quite low. The English Premier League spent a total of 2.9 billion USD for the 20 teams in the 2017-2018 season. Meanwhile, the figure for UEFA is about 1.6 billion USD.