How much England players get paid for World Cup games despite choosing to give it away
Ever wondered how much stars such as Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka or Jude Bellingham made every time they put on an England shirt?
It's actually a lot less than you'd expect.
The Three Lions each receive a base match fee of £2,000 for an appearance in a national team game, a figure which is most likely pocket change when compared to the insane salaries Premier League stars take home every week.
But the team actually walks away with even less, as each player donates all of the money to charity.
Why do England players donate their match fees to charity?
The earnings instead go to the England Footballers Foundation (EFF), a charity founded in 2007 by senior national team stars such as David Beckham, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard.
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"The work that's been going on for 10 years with the charities so far has been outstanding," Neville said of the foundation in 2017. "The lives that it impacts and affects is fantastic."
The accumulated funds are then distributed amongst chosen charity partners such as Bobby Moore Fund, Help for Heroes and UNICEF.
And it turns out that players' £2,000 salaries quickly add up, as the charity has raised approximately £15 million for the initiative since it first started.
This will increase during the 2026 tournament, with England playing at least four matches, donating a minimum of £88,000 for their efforts, not factoring in substitutions.
Should Thomas Tuchel's team go the whole way and they could expect to hand over at least double the amount.
How much will England make if they win the World Cup?
Of course, England haven't rocked up in North America to play purely for the love of the game, as reports suggest there is a pretty nice bonus waiting should the team be able to bring home the trophy.
Win on 19 July, and each player could be in for a lucrative bonus of £500,000 each, while head coach Tuchel could bag millions for leading the team to glory.
This isn't the only payout teams receive either, with FIFA paying each nation's respective football association for how far they progress.
According to figures shared by Metro, England will net a cool £6.7 million for finishing the group stage, which again increases as they progress.
The full breakdown of prize money is:
- Group stage: £6.7m
- Round of 32: £8.2m
- Round of 16: £11.2m
- Quarter-finals: £14m
- Fourth place: £20m
- Third place: £21.6m
- Runners-up: £24.6m
- Winners: £37.2m
Brenna Cooper