The German Football Association (DFB) announced Wednesday that each member of their squad will receive a €350,000 (Rs2.65crore) bonus should Germany defend their Fifa World Cup title next year in Russia.
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 (Rs2.27crore) they each got for winning the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil. Germany kick off their 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 have a reputation for being a tournament team and there will be no prize money from their FA until they reach at least the quarter-finals, where each player would get 75,000 euros. The cash rises to 125,000 euros 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.”
