WikiCup & international prize money
Cup and international competitions aren't just prestige but plannable sources of income: with each round the prize money rises noticeably – and internationally even the loser earns from every match.
National cup: prize per round
Both teams of a cup tie get paid – the winner considerably more. The amount depends on how many rounds remain until the final:
| Round | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 128 | 50,000 | 25,000 |
| Round of 64 | 75,000 | 50,000 |
| Round of 32 | 100,000 | 75,000 |
| Round of 16 | 150,000 | 100,000 |
| Quarter-final | 200,000 | 150,000 |
| Semi-final | 250,000 | 200,000 |
| Final | 300,000 | 250,000 |
Depending on the size of the cup, the competition starts at a later row – it's always counted backwards from the final.
Byes
In many cups not all teams play in the first round – some enter in the next round so the participant count fits the knockout format. Which teams get a bye is decided by draw.
The national cup winner qualifies for the international Kings Cup of the following season (if already qualified elsewhere, the finalist or the league table moves up). A cup run pays off twice.
International competitions: every match pays
Each confederation has three international competitions: the Champions Cup (champions & top finishers), the confederation cup (e.g. the Europa Pokal – the next league positions) and the Kings Cup (the national cup winners). Here every single match pays a prize – even a defeat:
- Defeat: the plain base prize
- Draw: 1.5× the base prize
- Win: 2.5× the base prize
| Competition | Qualification | Group stage | Knockout rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Cup | 300,000 | 800,000 | 600,000 × round level |
| Confederation cup | 150,000 | 500,000 | 300,000 × round level |
| Kings Cup | 100,000 | – | 80,000 (every round) |
All values are base prizes per match (×1.5 for a draw, ×2.5 for a win). In the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup and confederation cup the round level rises by 1 with every round – the final pays the most. One example: a group-stage win in the Champions Cup brings 2 million; a win in the final a multiple of that.
The full amounts apply to the European competitions; in the other confederations (Africa, Asia, North/South America, Oceania) the prizes are 60% of that.
How do I get in?
Starting spots are awarded by your league position: the best teams qualify for the Champions Cup, the next ones for the confederation cup (directly or via qualification) – and the cup winner for the Kings Cup. How many spots your country gets is decided by the five-year ranking: your country's international points from the last five seasons, fairly divided by its number of starters. Deliver on the international stage and you win your country more spots – countries without international points are ranked by the strength of their first division.
A good cup draw can carry a season financially – and an international group stage is a windfall that funds entire squad rebuilds. Set up deliberately for these matches: internationally, even a draw against a favourite pays very handsomely.