Bafana Bafana’s World Cup heroes ‘earned around $97,000 each’ from FIFA prize pool

South Africa’s Bafana Bafana players each received in the region of $97,300 (about R1.586m) before tax from their historic 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, according to figures outlining how FIFA prize money was shared out.

The numbers, reported by Cash N Sport and based on the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) internal bonus framework, shed light on how the rewards from Bafana Bafana’s first-ever progression to the knockout stages were divided between the squad and technical staff.

Bafana Bafana reached the Round of 32 at the 2026 tournament, the furthest the senior men’s national team has advanced at a World Cup.

How FIFA’s payout was shared

Cash N Sport reports that FIFA paid SAFA $11m (around R197m) in performance-related prize money for South Africa’s Round of 32 finish.

Under SAFA’s reported prize-sharing structure, 23% of that Round of 32 payout was allocated to the players. That translated into a player bonus pool of $2.53m (approximately R45.3m), which was then divided equally among the 26 members of the squad.

On that basis, each Bafana Bafana player is said to have received about $97,300 (roughly R1.586m) before tax.

The figures are drawn from SAFA’s internal FIFA-linked bonus scale, which, according to the same report, sets different sharing percentages depending on how far the national team progresses.

SAFA’s reported World Cup bonus scale

Cash N Sport outlines SAFA’s reported structure for distributing FIFA prize money as follows:

– 20% of the participation money if the team finishes either third or fourth in the group stage – 23% for reaching the Round of 32 – 25% for advancing to the Round of 16 – 30% for reaching the quarter-finals – 34% for finishing fourth overall – 44% for claiming third place – 45% for either reaching the final or winning the tournament

In all cases, FIFA’s prize money is paid directly to SAFA, which then applies this internal bonus formula to determine how much goes to players and how much is retained or allocated elsewhere.

What the coaches reportedly received

The technical staff’s incentives were structured differently, Cash N Sport adds.

Head coach Hugo Broos is reported to have been entitled to a flat 10% of FIFA’s prize money at every stage of the competition. On the Round of 32 payout, that would amount to $1.1m (approximately R17.93m) before tax – more than 11 times the amount received by an individual player.

Assistant coach Helman Mkhalele is said to have had a separate 5% share of the same FIFA prize money, equating to around $550,000 (about R8.965m).

These figures relate specifically to the distribution of FIFA’s performance prize money and SAFA’s internal structure for sharing that income.

Additional bonuses and tax

The report stresses that the sums quoted are all gross amounts and do not take into account tax. Players and members of the coaching staff are expected to pay tax on the income, which could be as high as 45% of their earnings.

Cash N Sport also notes that the calculations exclude any extra incentives announced by government.

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has confirmed that additional bonuses linked to Bafana Bafana’s World Cup run were approved. However, with no confirmed breakdown of how those government-linked funds were or will be allocated among players and staff, those payments have not been factored into the reported figures.