Germany offers players €350,000 each for 2018 World Cup title

The German Football Association (DFB) announced yesterday that each member of its squad will receive a €350,000 bonus should Germany defend its World Cup title next year in Russia, reports AFP.

If the Germans win a fifth world title, Joachim Loew and his squad stand to get an increase in prize money from the €300,000 they each got for winning the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.

Germany kick off its 2018 defence against Mexico on June 17 in Moscow having also drawn Sweden and South Korea in Group F.

“For our players, it is a great motivation to become world champions back-to-back for the first time in the history of German football,” said DFB president, Reinhard Grindel.

“That would be a title for the eternity and certainly worth a special bonus.
But you can feel in this team, that the sporting challenge is the main focus and not the economic aspect.”

Germany has a reputation for being a tournament team and there will be no prize money from its FA until it reaches at least the quarter-finals, where each player would get €75,000.

The cash rises to €125,000 for the semi-finals, 150,000 for third place and 200,000 if they lose the final on July 15 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

Team manager, Oliver Bierhoff says the performance-based scheme “brings the necessary calm and clarity early on, allowing us to focus on the task before and during the competition.”