FIFA will distribute $355 million (around €300m) to clubs releasing players for the 2026 World Cup, a 70 percent increase on the $209m paid out for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the governing body announced Tuesday.

The new agreement, reached with the European Club Association (ECA), will also for the first time compensate clubs whose players take part in World Cup qualifiers but do not feature at the expanded 48-team finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“The enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme is recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players make to both the qualifiers and the final tournament,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

ECA chairman and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: “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.”