Believe it or not, Crystal Palace actually have more players heading to the World Cup this summer than Real Madrid.
12 of the squad who just lifted the UEFA Conference League in Leipzig will feature at the prestigious tournament in the United States – only Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City will have more players featuring at the World Cup.
It is quite the achievement for a club of our stature in comparison to those aforementioned giants, and Adam Williams believes it also carries a “serious” financial boost for Crystal Palace with over £2m expected to arrive at Selhurst Park as a result – at least.
What was your favourite part about the trip to Leipzig? 🇩🇪
Exclusive: Crystal Palace expected to bank minimum of around £2.7m from FIFA
The Head of Football Finance and Governance Content at GRV Media told We Are Palace: “Under the scheme at the 2022 World Cup, clubs received about £8,000 per player, per day spent at the tournament. I believe some of that money was reserved for former clubs if the player had moved within two years, too.
“In 2026, the granular details haven’t been released but we know the total pot has increased from $209m (£155m) to $355m (£264m). There are 16 additional teams this time, remember, so most of that increase will go to them, as well as the fact that FIFA are compensating clubs for releasing players who played in the qualifiers too.
“There will be some excess even then, looking at the percentage, so I’d estimate that the £8,000 figure is probably closer to £9,000 this time around. That day rate is paid from ten days before the tournament starts until the day after the player’s last match. So, if the 12 Palace players all get knocked out in the group stages, they’d have been with their national teams for about 25 days in total, for the purposes of the FIFA programme.
“By my maths, that’s £2.7m in total. Obviously, the figure will increase the deeper players go into the tournament.
“The final figure won’t be exactly £2.7m, because I’m doing some guess work in terms of the day rate and the mechanics of the distribution, but it won’t be too far off. I’d say the margin for error is probably, say, £500,000. It’s serious money.”
With Steve Parish potentially having to pay compensation to lure Pierre Sage away from RC Lens this summer to replace Oliver Glasner, that would be a very welcome financial boost.
Where do you think we can finish in the UEFA Europa League next season after victory in Leipzig? 🤔
If Nottingham Forest can reach the last four while in a relegation battle, surely we can at least make the final? 👀
Having already banked just under £30m for winning the UEFA Conference League and securing UEFA Europa League football as a result, the financial situation at Selhurst Park is very healthy indeed – a far cry from the days of administration just over 16 years ago.
