How Eagles Missed N4.5bn World Cup Money

The Qatar 2022 World Cup remains only 45 days to commence for the biggest global football festival.

In the final African qualifiers for the World Cup, the Super Eagles were knocked out by bitter rivals Ghana’s Black Stars.

Thomas Partey’s early goal in Abuja was enough to secure Ghana’s place in Qatar, as they beat Nigeria 1-1 on aggregate on the away goal rule.

William Troost-Ekong’s penalty was insufficient to prevent the Black Stars from recording a famous result on enemy territory, with the enraged fans wreaking havoc on the newly renovated Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

The failure is still very fresh in the hearts of millions of football-loving Nigerian fans who follow the Eagles passionately.

And while Nigerians continue to lament their non-qualification, there will be plenty of money on the line at the World Cup in Qatar.

While the focus for a lot of teams will be on lifting the iconic trophy and representing their nations well, there is definitely a tangible benefit for success on the pitch.

FIFA haven’t held back when it comes to prize money for World Cups in recent years, and 2022 is no different  — with huge sums up for grabs.

The football body has allocated $440m in prize money for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

This is an increase of $40m compared to the 2018 tournament, while just $358m in prize money was on offer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Though the prize money may seem significant, the revenue expectations for FIFA from the tournament is put at $4.6bn with broadcasting rights set to contribute $2.6bn alone in income.

With so much prize money on offer, every side will walk away from Qatar significantly richer.

With Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, the players and the Nigeria Football Federation will, sadly, be missing out on FIFA’s largesse, which runs into billions of naira.

As the key part of any successful team, players also benefit financially from featuring at a World Cup.

While base salaries differ between national teams and for different players, they do get a share of whatever prize money their team walks away with.

FIFA allows each team to decide what share players receive. For instance, Germany promised to give each of their players a near $400,000 bonus had they lifted the title on home soil in 2006.

In 2022, Australia has reportedly pledged to pay each of its players AU$226,000 with an extra $290,000 to be paid if they reach the knockout stages.

Other nations are likely to offer a bit more or less than this amount to their players, depending on each federation’s financial situation. Punch

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