While international football dominates the spotlight during the tournament, Premier League clubs continue to closely monitor proceedings in North America for more than just sporting reasons.

The Premier League has sent a record number of players to this World Cup, marking its highest-ever participation in the tournament's history.

Across the 20 top-flight clubs for the 2025/26 season, along with newly promoted sides Coventry City, Ipswich Town, and Hull City, a total of 182 players are representing their nations in North America.

However, pride and prestige aren’t the only motivating factors for these clubs. Premier League teams also stand to gain financially from their players’ involvement in the World Cup.

Since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, FIFA has compensated clubs for releasing players to represent their countries under the FIFA Club Benefits Programme.

The funds come from World Cup-generated revenue, with FIFA pledging to distribute $355 million (around £267 million) to clubs worldwide for this summer’s edition—an increase from $209 million (£157 million) for Qatar 2022.

The sharp rise in payments is partly because, for the first time, FIFA will also reimburse clubs for their players’ involvement in qualifying matches. This accounts for $100 million of the total fund. Additionally, the 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams instead of 32, meaning more matches and an extended tournament.

Payments are determined using a “per player, per day” calculation, which divides the total fund by the total number of player-days spent at the World Cup. Every player is valued equally, meaning a regular starter and a substitute earn the same daily rate for their clubs.

For the 2026 tournament, each club will receive $5,000 (£3,730) per day per player from May 25—the official release date for players to join their national squads—until the day after their country’s final match, according to FIFA regulations.

This means players whose nations reach the final on July 19 will earn their clubs $285,000 (£214,000) each, based on a 57-day period. Clubs will also profit from qualifying matches, earning $2,362 (£1,779) per day per player for those fixtures.

Manchester City, for example, have 19 players participating in the finals. With several expected to progress deep into the tournament, the club is poised to earn millions from this World Cup.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Manchester City received the largest payout of any club globally—almost $4.6 million (£3.4 million)—from their players’ involvement. Barcelona followed closely with $4.5 million, while Manchester United ($3.3 million) and Chelsea ($3.2 million) ranked next among Premier League sides.

In total, English clubs collectively earned $37.7 million (£28.4 million) from the Qatar World Cup, with FIFA channeling the payments through the Football Association after the tournament concluded.

Given the increased total fund and the higher number of Premier League players at this year’s event, English clubs can look forward to an even greater financial return once the World Cup in North America wraps up.