Polokwane City set for major FIFA windfall from World Cup and qualifier payouts

Polokwane City are in line for a substantial financial boost approaching R1m from FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme after seven of their players were involved in the 2026 World Cup and its qualifying campaign.

Club boss Johnny Mogaladi will be able to submit claims for World Cup-related payments covering Thabang Matuludi, Oswin Appollis, Brian Bwire, Manuel Kambala, Manuel Sapunga, Douglas Mapfumo and Ndamulelo Maphangule.

Under the FIFA Club Benefits Programme, a total of USD355 million (about R5.8 billion) has been allocated worldwide to reward clubs whose players took part in both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and its qualifiers. The money is shared based on the number of days and matches for which players were officially on duty for their national teams.

For the qualifying phase, FIFA pays USD2362 (approximately R38 700) per match for each player named in the official matchday squad. Only those on the start list – the 11 starters and up to 12 substitutes – qualify their clubs for compensation, and the entitlement goes to the club with which the player was registered on the date of that qualifier.

Qualifier appearances stack up

Polokwane City’s initial claim comes from five players who featured in qualifiers for different national teams across Africa.

Goalkeeper Brian Bwire was listed in Kenya’s matchday squad for five qualifiers, while midfielder Manuel Kambala appeared in four squads for Mozambique. For Equatorial Guinea, Manuel Sapunga was included on six occasions, and Zimbabwe forward Douglas Mapfumo was in the squad twice.

On the South African front, midfielder Ndamulelo Maphangule made one matchday squad for Bafana Bafana during the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Combined, those appearances will earn Polokwane City a gross amount of R696 600 from the Club Benefits Programme, before tax and other deductions.

In addition, the Limpopo side will invoice for a further R194 000 relating to Oswin Appollis. The Orlando Pirates forward was still on the books at Polokwane City when he made five Bafana Bafana matchday squads in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and the benefits for those call-ups are therefore payable to his former club.

Matuludi’s World Cup call-up brings biggest share

The largest single portion of Polokwane City’s expected income will come from the involvement of defender Thabang Matuludi, who was part of South Africa’s squad at the World Cup finals.

For the tournament proper, FIFA pays clubs a daily rate for every player registered in a World Cup squad, starting from the official release date until the day after the team’s final match. In Matuludi’s case, Polokwane City are set to receive around R200 000 per day from 25 May until the day after Bafana Bafana’s exit in the last 32.

On top of the tournament money, Matuludi also qualifies his club for approximately R77 400 from the two World Cup qualifiers in which he was on the Bafana Bafana matchday list.

When all of Matuludi’s allocations are added together, Polokwane City will submit an invoice of about R968 000 gross for the defender’s World Cup and qualifying involvement alone.

Payment process under way

The administrative process for the 2026 World Cup Club Benefits Programme is now in motion following the conclusion of the tournament.

Clubs must complete an online registration and verification procedure to confirm the eligibility of their players and the periods they were on international duty. Once validated, payments will be channelled via the national associations of the respective clubs.

FIFA expects the distribution of funds to be completed before the end of 2026, subject to local tax regulations.

For Polokwane City, the combined claims from seven players – spanning Bafana Bafana, Kenya, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe – mean Mogaladi’s club stand to bank “extras upon extras” from the World Cup cycle, providing a welcome injection of revenue into the PSL outfit.