In an exciting update from FIFA, the winner of the upcoming World Cup, set to take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, will receive an impressive £37.5 million. This substantial prize was confirmed during a meeting in Doha on Tuesday, preceding FIFA’s annual awards event.

At this gathering, it was also agreed that the total prize fund for all participating nations would be a staggering £545 million. This represents a 50 percent increase compared to the funds allocated during the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.

This announcement follows closely on the heels of FIFA’s decision to lower ticket prices after considerable public outcry. Fans were particularly upset when initial ticket prices were revealed, showing that the cheapest tickets for England’s opening match against Croatia were priced at £200, with final match tickets soaring above £4,000.

In response to the backlash, FIFA has committed to offering a portion of tickets at a more affordable rate. Although the exact quantity wasn’t specified, it is believed that about 10 percent of the total tickets allocated to each participating country will be priced at £45.

Supporters were left incensed last week when initial prices were released, with the cheapest tickets for England’s opening match against Croatia set at £200, while the most affordable seat at the final was more than £4,000. 

However FIFA responded to backlash by guaranteeing an unspecified number of tickets, thought to be about 10 per cent of the overall allocation handed to each nation taking part, at a cost of £45.  

A whopping £37.5million will be dished out to the winner of next summer’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and the United States

The remarkable prize fund was approved by the footballing body at a meeting in Doha on Tuesday ahead of FIFA’s annual awards evening

In England’s case, the tickets – which will be available for all games – will go to members of the official supporters’ club.

While the figure is relatively small, the move represents a significant victory for campaigners and fans.

FIFA’s initial categorisation meant England fans faced shelling out more than £5,000 should Thomas Tuchel’s side reach the final at the tournament, which is being held in the US, Canada and Mexico. 

The development comes following talks with member associations, which included the FA and German federation.

A FIFA spokesperson said: ‘Fans of the national teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ will benefit from a dedicated ticket pricing tier, which has been designed to make following their teams on football’s greatest stage more affordable.

‘The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of USD 60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches, including the final.’

England have been handed an allocation of eight per cent of capacity at each game. That means for the opener against Croatia in Dallas, they will be given 4,000 in total with 400 available at £45. However, there are more than 600 ‘top cappers’, the highest tier in the group, so FA bosses will have to decide how to distribute them. A ballot is thought to be most likely.

In an email to the England Supporters Travel Club, seen by Daily Mail Sport, fans have been warned ‘not to cancel any applications at this stage’. Following the outcry, meetings took place over the weekend and early this week with senior officials in Doha, Qatar.

A FIFA official close to those discussions said: ‘Demand for tickets has been off the scale, more than 20 million requests so far in this latest phase. We have listened to feedback and this new category is the right thing to do.

‘Making $60 tickets available to more fans, including the most loyal ones who travel, was agreed on unanimously.

‘Associations will need to work out who best should receive them.

‘It’s a unique tournament and a unique market in the USA, in particular, which allows resales on secondary platforms. The demand is sky high.

‘No organisation does more to support the development of the game around the world than FIFA. All 211 associations, including the poorest countries, will benefit from a commercially successful World Cup.’