Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi (centre) celebrates with his teammates after converting the last penalty to knock Spain out of the 2022 Fifa World Cup. AFP
FIFA funded the payments to the 18 African clubs with its $7.5 billion income from the four-year commercial cycle, mostly tied to the 2022 men's tournament, which also rewarded 440 clubs in 51 countries.
Manchester City, the winner of the Premier League and Champions League, topped the list of payments, receiving almost $4.6 million from FIFA. This amount surpassed the total sent to the entire African continent, which had five national teams at the World Cup.
Wydad Casablanca of Morocco earned the highest revenue among African clubs, receiving $1,405,305 due to their country's qualification to the semi-finals and fourth-place finish in the tournament.
Esperance of Tunisia came in second with a revenue of $525,000, benefiting from their country's participation in the World Cup, while Egyptian club Ahly earned $420,679, taking third place for the participation of Tunisia's Ali Maaloul and Badr Benoun with Morocco who reached the semis.
Tunisian clubs Club Africain and Etoile Sportive du Sahel came in fourth and fifth place, earning $312,087 and $262,810, respectively.
Egyptian club Zamalek secured sixth place with $229,959 since their striker Seifeddine Jaziri participated with Tunisia who got eliminated from the first round. Cameroon's three clubs earned $401,515, five Ghanaian clubs earned $565,772, and Senegal's Generation Foot received $20,075.
FIFA agreed to make payments from its World Cup revenues as part of a settlement with the European Club Association (ECA) formed in 2008, with the fund total negotiated during FIFA-ECA working agreement renewals.
The fund for each men's World Cup in 2026 and 2030 will be $355 million.
The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will see 48 teams and an estimated 1,104 selected players, a first for the tournament.
FIFA calculated the payments at a daily rate of $10,950 for each of 837 players doing duty in Qatar until the day after their team’s last game. Each player’s allocation was divided among clubs who held their registration since the 2020-21 season.
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