It pays to play in the World Cup: KFA announces bonuses, with 1 billion won each on the line
Published: 25 May. 2026, 14:10
The Korean men's national team trains in Salt Lake City at its pre-World Cup training camp ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America. [KFA]
The Korea Football Association (KFA) on Monday announced a new bonus structure for the national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, offering record payouts designed to reward performance at every stage of the tournament.
The new system is recalibrated to reflect the expanded tournament format, in which the number of participating nations has grown from 32 to 48, adding a round in the knockout stage.
Each of the 26 players in the squad will receive a base appearance fee of 50 million won ($33,099) — up from 20 million won for the 2022 Qatar World Cup — in recognition of Korea's achievement in qualifying for an 11th consecutive tournament.
The real incentives kick in once the group stage is cleared.
Advancing to the round of 32 triggers an immediate bonus of 100 million won per player. From there, the payouts climb by 100 million won with each knockout round victory: 200 million won for the round of 16, 300 million won for the quarterfinals, and 400 million won for the semifinals.
Reaching the final earns 500 million won, with the figure rising to 600 million won should the side win. Third place carries a bonus of 450 million won.
At the Qatar World Cup, the rewards were set at 100 million won for the round of 16, 200 million won for the quarterfinals and 500 million won for winning the tournament.
The World Cup is set to run from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Korean men's national team heads to Salt Lake City on May 18 for training camp ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [YONHAP]
Separate match bonuses will also be paid. In the group stage, a win earns 30 million won per player, with 10 million won for a draw. In the knockout rounds, the figures rise to 50 million won for a round of 32 win, 80 million won for the round of 16, 140 million won for the quarterfinals and 200 million won for the semifinals. A victory in the final adds a further 300 million won.
Should Korea win the World Cup, the combined total of bonuses and match payments for each player is expected to exceed 1 billion won.
Beyond the financial rewards, the KFA also introduced a players' support package. Each player will be provided with two double hotel rooms and four first-class match tickets per game to accommodate family members or close friends.
"The association put together the highest level of rewards and support in its history in recognition of the greater physical and mental demands placed on players by the expanded, first-ever three-nation hosted tournament," a KFA official said. “By offering clear rewards at every stage of performance, we have given the national team greater motivation as it pursues its goals."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SONG JI-HOON. [
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