Almost half of the Premier League clubs received substantial compensation through the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for releasing players to the World Cup. The programme rewards clubs for their role in developing and employing players who participate in the tournament.
Payout Structure and Top Earners
Clubs receive roughly £3,750 per day per player from May 25 until their national team's elimination. The maximum payouts go to players from Spain, Argentina, England, and France, who played the most games in North America.
According to The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur earned £1.58 million (17th), Chelsea £1.65 million (16th), and Liverpool a similar amount (15th). Liverpool had eight players at the tournament, including Alexis Mac Allister of runners-up Argentina.
English Clubs in the Rankings
Sunderland placed 13th, Aston Villa 12th, and Manchester United eighth with £1.95 million. United received payments for Kobbie Mainoo, who did not play a minute, and Marcus Rashford, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona. Crystal Palace, in seventh with £2.03 million, had 12 players at the tournament, including England's Dean Henderson, France's Maxence Lacroix and Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Spain's Yeremy Pino.
Top Five Clubs
The top five clubs are Paris Saint-Germain (£2.4 million), Arsenal (£2.48 million), Bayern Munich (£2.55 million), Barcelona (£2.93 million), and Manchester City (£3.3 million). Barcelona had eight Spain players: Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Joan Garcia, Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Pau Cubarsi. Arsenal had 16 players at the World Cup, three fewer than City, who lost virtually their entire first-team squad to the tournament.
Premier League and La Liga Start Dates
The Premier League kicks off on August 21, with champions Arsenal hosting newly promoted Coventry City. La Liga's World Cup stars get less recovery time as the Spanish season begins on August 15.
