According to information from ASEAN Football, the prize money for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 champion team is said to be reduced from 1 million USD to 650,000 USD, equivalent to about 17 billion VND. The reduction of 350,000 USD is equivalent to 35% compared to the initial plan.
This information appeared in the context of FIFA ASEAN Cup facing difficulties in commercializing the tournament, especially television rights. The initial asking price is said to be about 3 million USD, then adjusted down to 2 million USD to increase the possibility of finding partners.
However, by September 22, broadcasting rights were confirmed in 3 countries. Previously, Indonesia and Laos were the first markets to announce copyright agreements.
In addition to reducing bonuses for champions, some sources from Southeast Asian media also said that the expected bonuses for each winning match have also been removed from the original structure, leading to the total value of prizes for teams being significantly lower than the previously announced plan.
Currently, FIFA has not made an official announcement about whether to reduce the tournament prize money or not.
Previously, according to the announcement of the organizers, the FIFA ASEAN Cup champion team is expected to receive 1 million USD, while the runner-up team receives 300,000 USD. This bonus is double the 500,000 USD that the Vietnamese team received after successfully defending the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 championship.
