Southampton are set to receive a windfall following FIFA’s announcement of the Club Benefits Programme, following the appearances of Saints players at the 2022 World Cup.
The Saints had just two players appear at the World Cup in defenders Mohammed Salisu and Armel Bella-Kotchap, but Southampton were nevertheless entitled to part of the fund, and ranked in 20th out of 46 English FA clubs who had players appear in the tournament.
Southampton were awarded around $523k (£398k) as a result of these two stars participating in the tournament, as well as January signing Mislav Orsic, who joined the club following his exploits for Croatia.
James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia could have considered themselves unlucky to not be part of their squads, having been overlooked in favour of other players by England and Belgium.
How did Southampton’s players perform at the World Cup?
Bella-Kotchap was selected for the senior Germany team, but whilst this was a big accomplishment for the 21-year-old, he was an unused substitute in all three matches as his side crashed out in the group stages.
Salisu had a better individual tournament, playing every minute for Ghana, but he could not prevent his team from a group-stage exit despite scoring in their dramatic 3-2 victory over South Korea.
Orsic was impressive, scoring once and providing two assists as Croatia reached the semi-finals, and this led to Southampton signing him in January, but he was not afforded the chance to showcase his talent at St Mary’s.
Given Southampton’s relegation last season, it remains to be seen whether any of their internationally recognised players will still be at the club in time for Euro 2024, but the club will be grateful for the small cash windfall from the tournament in Qatar.