Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon and Malawi will each receive $2.5m (£1.??) from FIFA to prepare for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The funding forms part of a major increase in the money being made available to all 32 participating nations. The payment per federation is the same as that allocated to each of the 48 teams competing at the 2026 men’s World Cup.

FIFA said the funds would be made available to the qualified federations by next December. The four African representatives will therefore receive a combined $10m for preparations alone.

The announcement was made on Thursday, eight months before the tournament begins. The competition will take place in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027.

The preparation payments are separate from the participation and performance bonuses for the tournament itself. FIFA said the detailed arrangements for those prizes would be confirmed in December.

The FIFA Council Bureau also approved higher minimum payments for players, increased compensation for clubs and improved accommodation and other services for teams at the tournament. Participants are expected to receive provisions equivalent to those offered to the men’s teams at the 2026 World Cup.

The scale of the new preparation fund can be seen by comparing it with the rewards from the most recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

In July, CAF announced a 67% increase in the competition’s overall prize fund, taking it from $3.475m to $5.8m.

Cameroon, the African champions, received $2m. Runners-up Malawi were awarded $750,000, while third-placed Algeria collected $500,000. Morocco, who finished fourth, received slightly less.

That means the $2.5m provided by FIFA to each team for World Cup preparations alone is $500,000 more than Cameroon’s prize for winning the continental title.

The four nations will now have to decide how to use the additional money, with the immediate focus on preparing for the World Cup. The wider challenge will be ensuring the funds also support lasting investment in women’s football across Africa.

The 2027 tournament will be the first Women’s World Cup to be staged in Brazil.