- How much will Africa’s nine remaining teams earn after reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32?
- Nine of Africa’s 10 representatives booked their places in the knockout stage, with only Tunisia failing to advance from the group phase.
- Each of the nine African nations is now guaranteed to earn at least $14.5 million (approximately KSh1.9 billion).
The 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, featuring a thrilling 72 matches across the three co-host nations of Canada, the USA, and Mexico, came to a curtain close on Sunday morning, and the prize money for those who got axed and those qualified is now up for grabs.
Under the tournament’s historic expanded format, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, alongside the eight best third-placed finishers, successfully booked their places in the newly introduced Round of 32.
As for the confederation performances, Africa (CAF) can be proud of the display from its representatives.
Nine of the 10 teams that qualified progressed, with some returning to the knockout stages while others made history by reaching them for the very first time.
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With the exception of Tunisia, who were eliminated, Morocco and Egypt comfortably led the charge, while Cape Verde produced the fairytale story of the tournament by finishing second in Group H to reach the knockouts in their debut appearance.
South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ghana, Algeria, and DR Congo also secured their places in the Round of 32.
As they chase glory and aim to represent their nations on the global stage, what is already at stake for them?
How much will the nine African teams take home even if they are knocked out in the Round of 32? SportPesa Blog Kenya gives you the full breakdown.
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Even Tunisia did not leave empty-handed. They are guaranteed a significant financial reward simply for qualifying and taking part in the tournament.
FIFA increased the total financial distribution for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to $871 million (approximately KSh112.8 billion), a 15% increase from its initial projection and the largest prize pool ever offered for the tournament.
The expanded field of 48 teams, coupled with increased commercial revenue, television rights, and sponsorship deals, has allowed FIFA to significantly boost payouts throughout the competition.
Prize money is divided into two categories:
- Performance-based prize money, awarded based on how far each team advances.
- Guaranteed financial support, provided to every qualified nation regardless of its results.
Teams finishing between 33rd and 48th place, including Tunisia, are guaranteed at least $12.5 million (approximately KSh1.6 billion) for taking part in the tournament.
This includes the minimum $10 million participation prize plus an additional $2.5 million in financial support.
In other words, Tunisia will take home $12.5 million despite exiting in the group stage, according to the BBC prize money breakdown.
The nine African teams, alongside UEFA’s 13 qualified teams, CONMEBOL’s five representatives, CONCACAF’s three teams, and the AFC’s two qualifiers, are all guaranteed to pocket at least $14.5 million (approximately KSh1.9 billion) for reaching the Round of 32, with the performance prize at that stage standing at $12 million.
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The prize money continues to rise as teams progress further. =Reaching the Round of 16 earns $16 million, while quarter-finalists receive $20 million.
Fourth place guarantees $28 million in prize money, rising to a total of $30.5 million after adding the participation support.
Third place receives $30 million, taking the total to $32.5 million.
The runners-up will collect $34 million in prize money, approximately $36.5 million in total (around KSh4.7 billion), while the champions will earn a record $51 million in prize money and approximately $53.5 million overall (around KSh6.9 billion).
Here is the complete 2026 FIFA World Cup prize money breakdown at every stage
- Note: The Kenya shilling conversions are based on the Saturday, June 27 exchange rate of KSh129.52 to one US dollar and are subject to change.
The figures below represent only the performance prize money and do not include the additional financial support of approximately $2.5 million (KSh323.6 million).
- Winners: $51m (£38m) – KSh6.6 billion
- Runners-up: $34m (£25m) – KSh4.4 billion
- Third place: $30m (£22m) – KSh3.9 billion
- Fourth place: $28m (£20m) – KSh3.6 billion
- Fifth to eighth: $20m (£14m) – KSh2.6 billion
- Ninth to 16th: $16m (£11m) – KSh2.1 billion
- 17th to 32nd: $12m (£8m) – KSh1.6 billion
- 33rd to 48th: $10m (£7m) – KSh1.3 billion
These payouts account for $703 million of the total $871 million prize fund, with the remaining $168 million distributed among all participating nations regardless of performance.
That means there is still plenty at stake for Africa’s remaining representatives; Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Cape Verde, Algeria, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Ghana, and South Africa, as they continue their historic journey in North America.
Here are the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 fixtures, schedules, and kick-off times:
Time on East Africa Time – EAT
Sunday, June 28
- South Africa vs Canada – Los Angeles – 11:00pm
Monday, June 29
- Brazil vs Japan – Houston – 8:00pm
- Germany vs Paraguay – Boston – 11:30pm
Tuesday, June 30
- Netherlands vs Morocco – Monterrey – 4:00am
- Ivory Coast vs Norway – Dallas – 8:00pm
Wednesday, July 1
- France vs Sweden – New York/New Jersey – 12:00am
- Mexico vs Ecuador – Mexico City – 5:00am
- England vs DR Congo – Atlanta – 7:00pm
- Belgium vs Senegal – Seattle – 11:00pm
Thursday, July 2
- USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina – San Francisco – 3:00am
- Spain vs Austria – Los Angeles – 10:00pm
Friday, July 3
- Portugal vs Croatia – Toronto – 2:00am
- Switzerland vs Algeria – Vancouver – 6:00am
- Australia vs Egypt – Dallas – 9:00pm
Saturday, July 4
- Argentina vs Cape Verde – Miami – 1:00am
- Colombia vs Ghana – Kansas City – 4:30am
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026