Most national teams that have qualified for the World Cup will have to pay taxes in the United States due to FIFA bonuses. The reason for this is the lack of a comprehensive tax exemption agreement with the U.S. government.
Unlike Canada and Mexico, which, as co-hosts, agreed to a so-called "tax peace" and exempted federations from additional levies, the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. did not approve such relief for all participants.
It is interesting to note that FIFA explicitly requested the elimination of taxes like this from Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, which Washington clearly refused.
Out of a total of 48 national teams, as many as 30 will suffer a serious financial blow. These teams will be subjected to double taxation. The first part will be taken by the United States itself, while the second will depend on the tax system of their home country.
Only 18 countries will manage to avoid this overseas financial expense. These are the wealthiest football associations, mainly from Europe, as well as countries like Australia, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa, which have already signed special bilateral tax relief agreements with the U.S.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, unfortunately, does not belong to this privileged group and shares the fate of smaller associations. This means that a significant portion of the rich bonuses FIFA pays for qualification and potential wins will remain in the American state budget.
Although the Italian portal fanpage.it did not specify the exact amount, according to current U.S. laws, taxation can go up to 30 percent.
FIFA has prepared a total budget of an incredible 620 million euros for the 2026 World Cup. Each national team, simply by qualifying for the tournament, secures at least 7.7 million euros, while the amount increases drastically depending on the results in the tournament.