If Spain lifts the trophy on Sunday at the 2026 World Cup, there will be a winner many do not expect: the Public Treasury. Technicians at the Ministry of Finance have run the numbers and the figure is stark: almost six million euros would flow directly into the State coffers thanks to taxation of Spanish footballers who play in local clubs.

Where does that massive figure come from?

The calculation is meticulous. According to 20minutos.es, the 17 players from Spanish clubs who make up the national team would each receive €754,701.92 as a winning bonus. Multiplied by 17 members, that totals €12.8 million in total prize money.

But here is where it becomes decisive: to that amount is added the ordinary salary and image rights that these footballers receive from their clubs during the season. All together—bonus, salary and rights—is considered taxable income under Spanish administrative doctrine and is therefore subject to personal income tax (IRPF).

Of the nearly six million euros the Treasury would collect, €4.4 million would go to the State Tax Agency (AEAT), while the remainder would be distributed among the tax administrations of Navarre, Gipuzkoa and Vizcaya, where some players have tax residency.

Different tax treatment depending on where you live

Not all footballers are taxed the same way. Finance Ministry technicians have identified an important point: players domiciled in regional tax territories have advantages.

In the case of the 12 footballers residing in the rest of Spain—among them Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal and Ferrán Torres—the bonus is considered work income and they cannot access reductions for earning sporadic income. This means taxation is more burdensome.

However, the five footballers with tax domicile in regional tax territories—Mikel Oyarzabal, Víctor Muñoz, Unai Simón, Aymeric Laporte and Nico Williams—could benefit from a maximum limit of €300,000 on which to apply specific tax reductions from those autonomous communities.

Spain taxes like UK, France and Germany

The general secretary of Gestha (the association of Finance Ministry technicians), José María Mollinedo, has made clear that the Spanish tax system is aligned with that of the major European powers: the United Kingdom, France and Germany apply similar criteria to sports bonuses.

This means international footballers such as Rodri, David Raya, Martín Zubimendi or Fabián Ruiz will face tax pressures comparable to those of their competitors elsewhere in Europe. It is not a case of Spanish fiscal overexploitation, but a shared standard.

The conversion of the bonuses—initially announced in US dollars at €865,384.62 per player—has been made at the official exchange rate of the Bank of Spain, adding transparency to the process.

What do these millions mean in practice?

For the players, the impact is considerable but not devastating: each footballer would see their net bonus reduced depending on their overall tax base. For the State, it represents an injection of unbudgeted income at a time when the public coffers are always looking for reinforcement.

The time factor also counts: this tax impact would materialise in the income tax declaration for fiscal year 2026, meaning it would not affect budgets immediately following a hypothetical victory, but rather later in the following fiscal year.

If Spain conquers the World Cup, the national team will have won three things: a historic title, a juicy bonus for its members and, curiously, a multimillion-euro involuntary gift to the Treasury. Could any footballer have thought about this when signing their contract?