World Cup 2026: How much will Turpin and Letexier earn as referees?

FIFA has set the ceiling for central referee compensation at $100,000 (approximately €87,000) for the 2026 World Cup, an amount that will only be reached by officials appointed to the final and third-place match, scheduled for July 18 and 19. Assistant referees, whether on the field or at video review, are limited to $25,000 (nearly €22,000).

Compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the increase reaches 25%. Since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, fees have simply doubled. The expanded format with 48 teams, which extends the competition from four to six weeks and adds an extra round before the round of 16, partly explains this increase in compensation.

Each of the 52 central referees selected will receive a base fee, supplemented by bonuses at each knockout stage. For French referees Clément Turpin and François Letexier, who both officiated from the group stage — Turpin on England-Croatia, Letexier on Côte d’Ivoire-Ecuador — the summer promises to be potentially very lucrative.

By way of comparison, the two referees earn up to €145,000 per Ligue 1 season. Their English counterparts at this World Cup, Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, receive up to £180,000 (approximately €208,000) for a Premier League season, making them the highest-paid officials among those selected for the tournament.