The players are not the only ones with plenty riding on the 2026 World Cup final. When Slovenia’s Slavko Vinčić walked out at MetLife Stadium for Spain against Argentina, he knew he was also be collecting the biggest officiating fee of the tournament.

FIFA never publicly reveals exactly how much each referee earns for individual games, but the overall payment structure has been widely reported by several reliable outlets throughout the tournament.

How much does the World Cup final referee earn?

Simply making the list of referees selected for the World Cup is lucrative.

Officials at the 2026 tournament are reported to receive a fixed payment of around $70,000 for being chosen to officiate, regardless of how far they progress.

On top of that comes a fee for every game they referee. Group stage assignments are worth around $3,000 each, while knockout games pay substantially more, with reports putting the figure at up to $10,000 per game.

Because the World Cup final is the most prestigious knockout game of them all, Vinčić is expected to receive the maximum match fee of around $10,000 for Sunday’s game.

By the time tournament payments and match fees are combined, referees who work several games and are selected for the final are expected to earn around $100,000 or slightly more from FIFA over the course of the tournament.

How much do other World Cup officials earn?

Not every official receives the same amount.

The total depends on how many games they are assigned and how far they progress through the competition. Referees who only work group-stage games naturally earn less than those trusted with knockout rounds.

Assistant referees and video match officials (VAR) are also paid by FIFA, although their compensation is generally lower than that of the on-field referee. FIFA has not published official figures for those roles.

The 2026 payments also represent a notable increase compared with previous World Cups. Reports suggest the overall compensation available to elite referees is roughly double what officials received at the 2014 tournament, reflecting both the expanded 48-team competition and the growing importance placed on attracting the world’s top match officials.

For Vinčić, though, the money is only part of the reward. Being chosen to referee a World Cup final is widely regarded as the highest honor an official can receive, and only a handful of referees ever get that opportunity.

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