BERLIN, Sept 17 — Football governing body Fifa will for the first time financially reward clubs releasing players for the World Cup qualifiers, it said in a statement on Tuesday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Every club whose players directly feature either in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers or the final tournament will receive a share of the solidarity fund through the Club Benefits Programme, even if the player doesn’t play at the event in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

Fifa has set aside a record US$355 million (RM1.4 billion) to distribute among the clubs.

“The enhanced edition of the Fifa Club Benefits Programme for the Fifa World Cup 2026 is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said. — Bernama-dpa