Aston Villa in line for ‘groundbreaking’ World Cup windfall after FIFA announcement

Aston Villa are likely to gain an increased amount of compensation from FIFA for releasing their players for next summer’s World Cup.

Villa and clubs around the world are set to benefit from a boosted FIFA compensation fund when their players are selected to join their national teams for qualifying matches or the World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

As part of the world governing body’s Club Benefit Programme, clubs are entitled to compensation for their players’ international commitments. This is a relatively new development and the sums involved are on the increase.

What is the FIFA compensation fund?

The total fund for the 2026 World Cup could reach £308 million, a huge jump from the £153 million total paid out to clubs whose players represented their countries at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

According to a statement from FIFA president Gianni Infantino:

“A record USD 355 million [£308m] will be distributed to clubs for the release of their players, and this reinforces our solid collaboration with the European Club Association and clubs worldwide as we all look forward to a groundbreaking and globally inclusive edition of the FIFA World Cup next year.”

FIFA’s work with the ECA – in combination, an anti-UEFA power play – brought about the idea of distributing compensation in this way in 2010. It was renewed in 2015 and 2023 and is set for a major increase for the next World Cup.

The chairman of the European Club Association is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of beIN Media Group and president of Paris Saint-Germain.

In a statement about the increased compensation fund, he said: “Clubs play a pivotal role in the success of national team football, and this initiative recognises every element of it, from early development through to release for the most important games.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with FIFA and the global football community to ensure we keep driving growth and development of international football.”

How much will Villa receive from the fund?

The amount of compensation coming Villa’s way will depend on the performance of their players this season and how many of them will be named in the squads of their respective national teams at the World Cup finals next summer.

In the last World Cup, clubs received around $10,000 for every player for each day they were with the national team camp between the start of the tournament and the end. Villa reportedly received $300,000 in compensation for Emiliano Martínez, whose Argentina team went all the way to the final in Qatar and indeed won the World Cup.

Martínez will be in the Argentina squad and possibly Villa’s which would entitle them to a share of compensation for his involvement again. John McGinn will be one of Scotland’s senior players if they manage to secure their qualification.

Among Villa’s Netherlands contingent, Donyell Malen is an international regular who was named in the most recent Dutch squad. Ian Maatsen, who made a scoring debut, wasn’t involved and is waiting for a second cap.

Other potential players include Matty Cash (Poland), Youri Tielemans (Belgium) and Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast), while a number of Villa stars are on the bubble when it comes to an England place.

The likes of Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins can be considered current England players but Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott face the challenge of catching Thomas Tuchel’s eye.

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