Gor Mahia midfielder Austin Odhiambo and Alpha Onyango celebrate after beating Murang’a Seal in the FKF Cup semi final (Credit: Gor Mahia)
Gor Mahia midfielder Austin Odhiambo and Alpha Onyango celebrate during a past fixture. (Credit: Gor Mahia)
Gor Mahia will be the biggest beneficiary from a cash incentive from FIFA to clubs who released players for the World Cup qualifiers.
Kenyan teams are among hundreds set to gain financially from FIFA which will compensate clubs around the world for releasing players to national teams for World Cup qualifiers.
FIFA announced on Tuesday that the programme, which has shared hundreds of millions of dollars among clubs whose players were selected for each World Cup tournament since 2010, will now extend to all players who took part in qualifying games, which ropes in Kenyan sides.
Of the 211 FIFA member associations, only Eritrea and Russia, who were suspended, did not take part in the World Cup qualifiers and will miss out on the windfall that came in force following a renewed memorandum of understanding signed between FIFA and the European Club Association in March 2023.
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Clubs that release players for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will benefit from the overall pool of $355 million (Ksh43.2 billion) set aside by FIFA with the amount distributed based on the number of players each club produced.
“This new approach means that any club that releases a player for a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier will now be directly compensated,” FIFA, who have increased the amount to $355 million for the 2026 edition from $209 million paid out to clubs in 2018 and 2022, said in a statement.
FIFA said 440 clubs across 51 member countries got payments in 2022 but the number will increase this time due to the expanded 48-team World Cup set to take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada plus the extension of the amount to qualifying games.
In Africa, two qualifying matches remain although some countries have already booked their places but Kenya is not among the nations still with a chance as they are fifth in their six-team qualifying group on nine points, 11 behind leaders Ivory Coast, and 10 behind second-placed Gabon.
However, Kenyan clubs will benefit as a number of local-based players have been utilised during the qualifying campaign with Gor Mahia producing the highest number followed by Kenya Police.
Tusker FC, Bandari, KCB, AFC Leopards, Sofapaka and Kakamega Homeboyz have also had players earn call-ups during the qualifying campaign.
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