Chelsea set for cash injection as Enzo Fernandez helps Xabi Alonso fund Morgan Rogers bid

The Chelsea sporting leadership team are set to be given a much-needed boost to their efforts in bolstering Xabi Alonso’s squad this summer.

Chelsea are set to be handsomely rewarded by the FIFA Club Benefits Programme following the conclusion of the World Cup. The Blues had 12 players on the books at the tournament this summer, with many of which reaching the latter stages of the competition.

Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah locked horns with Malo Gusto at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday night, helping England defeat France and win a bronze medal. The following evening, Enzo Fernandez faced Marc Cucurella, whom Real Madrid signed from Chelsea just hours before Spain’s opening clash of the World Cup, in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Spain stormed past Argentina to win the World Cup for just the second time in history. The Blues are now set to be compensated for their players’ participation on the international stage.

In September 2025, FIFA announced it would allocate $355m (£264m) to the Club Benefits Programme, which pays teams for the time their registered players spend away, for the 2026 and 2030 editions of the World Cup. Of the total compensation pot, $250m (£187m) is dedicated to the tournament itself.

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From the mandatory release date for players ahead of the tournament on May 25, FIFA pay clubs $5,000 (£3,730) per day until the day after their country’s final game. According to the official FIFA squad list, Cucurella was registered by Spain as a Chelsea player, having not swapped Stamford Bridge for the Santiago Bernabeu until after the opening game of the World Cup.

He and Fernandez reached the final of the tournament, meaning the Blues are entitled to two 57-day compensation packages, each worth $285,000 (£212,900). James and Gusto were away with England and France, respectively, for 55 days, banking Chelsea two compensation packages each worth $275,000 (£205,150).

Chalobah was also part of the Three Lions squad, but he was called up late following an injury to Tino Livramento. The Blues announced his addition to Thomas Tuchel’s party on June 16, meaning he was only away for 33 days, securing $165,000 (£122,620) in compensation.

Although he didn’t feature at the World Cup, Mike Penders, who spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, helped Belgium reach the quarter-finals. The goalkeeper was away for 47 days, earning Chelsea $235,000 (£174,640).

Meanwhile, Pedro Neto was away for 43 days with Portugal, reaching just the round of 16, securing the Blues $215,000 (£159,780). Mamadou Sarr and Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Kendry Paez, and Jorrel Hato reached the last-32 with Senegal, Ecuador, and the Netherlands, respectively.

They earned Chelsea in the region of about $925,000 (£687,420) for their services. Altogether, Chelsea can expect to receive about $2,660,000 (£1,976,805) from FIFA and its Club Benefits Programme.

That said, however, football.london understands that FIFA also reward any club that a player has represented in the two prior years to the World Cup, too.

So, any fee earned from Jackson, Sarr, Hato, Paez, and Penders, who have either recently joined the Blues or spent some time on loan, will be split with their former clubs. Although the extra cash won’t entirely fund the signing of Morgan Rogers, for instance, the seven-figure sum will certainly give Xabi Alonso a much-needed boost to his hopes of bolstering the squad this summer.