The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has confirmed that the $9 million prize money Ghana’s Black Stars will receive for qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be deposited into the country’s newly established Sports Fund.
Under the expanded 48-team World Cup format, each qualifying nation will earn $10.5 million—comprising $9 million in prize money for group-stage participation and an additional $1.5 million to support preparation costs.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Adams explained that expected World Cup revenues were a key motivation behind the creation of the Sports Fund, which has been presented to Parliament for approval.
“If you look at the justification for the bill we took to Parliament, one of the things we highlighted was the period we are in—preparation for the FIFA World Cup. We intend that, once signed by the President, the bill becomes an act,” he said.
The Minister elaborated on how earnings from international competitions would be channelled into the fund.
“One of the sources is proceeds from competitions and tournaments. For example, what FIFA will give us as a country is $9 million. The $1.5 million for preparation will be used accordingly. The $9 million will go into the fund unless we incur unavoidable costs. If not, everything goes into the fund,” Adams explained.
He stressed that depositing the money into a structured fund will allow Ghana to make long-term investments in sports infrastructure and development, creating tangible legacies from World Cup participation.
“Once it goes into the fund, we can have infrastructure or edifices that we can point to and say, ‘This is what we achieved from the World Cup.’ We are keen on leaving visible legacies from Ghana’s participation in the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico,” Adams added.
The Minister also highlighted the additional financial incentives tied to advancing further in the competition and expressed confidence in the Black Stars’ performance.
“If you qualify for the next round of 32 teams, you earn an additional $3 million. Advancing further brings another $4 million. The further we go, the better it will be for the nation. We are in good shape, and I believe we can be among the top four,” he said.
