Chiefs in the queue for R200K/day World Cup money

Kaizer Chiefs will be waiting with anticipation about having representation – which comes with financial rewards – at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA Club Benefits Programme will have USD355 million (approx. R5,8 billion) availed as compensation for clubs that release players to represent their national teams.

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Clubs where players had a stint during the qualification phase will also be eligible for compensation, provided they are registered on the FIFA digital platform.

"The compensation mechanism was designed to reward all clubs equally and transparently for the time that their registered players spend at the FIFA World Cup.

"The total amount allocated for the FIFA Club Benefits Programme is divided by the total number of days spent at the tournament by all the players involved.

"This equation produces a “per player, per day” figure that can be used to calculate the benefits owed.

"The daily participation figure is then multiplied by the number of days that a player spends at the tournament, which comprises the period from his release for the competition to the date of his national team’s last match.

"Therefore, the further a national team progresses at the tournament, the more that team’s players will earn for their respective clubs.

"All players within a national-team squad are allocated an equal benefit amount, irrespective of their playing time at the competition," reads the FIFA Club Benefits Programme.

It is estimated that the Benefits Programme will pay clubs approximately R200 000 this year, based on estimates.

For Chiefs, while they have Brandon Petersen at the forefront of those in line for Bafana Bafana selection, it will stretch beyond what Hugo Broos is considering.

Congolese forward Glody Makabi Lilepo’s name has been discussed ahead of the Leopards naming their squad.

DR Congo are heading back to the World Cup after 52 years of waiting and will be in Group K with Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan.

In preparation, they will play Denmark on June 3 in Liege, Belgium, and then Chile six days later in Marbella, Spain

Lilepo has been a top performer at the Soweto giants this season but hasn’t played for the DR Congo national team since June 2023 due to the issues he had with French coach Sebastien Desabre.

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The winger threw tantrums after being dropped from the match-day squad back then and has been blacklisted by Desabre since then.

However, what he has done for AmaKhosi has left his name under discussion for a possible inclusion in the provisional squad, opening the way for him to squeeze into the final squad.