How far down the field the prize money goes
The FA Cup pays 743 clubs, from £375 for losing an extra preliminary round tie to £4,144,000 for winning the competition. A tennis major pays 240 players in each singles draw, and an alpine World Cup race pays its top 30. Across 923 competitions held since 2025, this is how many places each one pays and where the money stops.
How many places each sport pays
The median number of places paid in one field, and the competition that pays the most
The twenty competitions that pay the most places
A place is one cheque in one field. A tennis major counts one singles draw with its qualifying draw, so its 240 places are paid twice over, once to the men and once to the women. Football pays the most places of any sport at the median, 336 a competition. The FA Cup pays 3.1 times as many places as a Wimbledon draw, and its last cheque is £375 against £20,000. The 73 tennis tour events we hold without their qualifying draw are left out of this table and the next, because their money runs further than the ladder we hold.
Where the money stops
The 60 deepest-paying competitions, with the last cheque each one pays and how many times that the winner takes
| # | COMPETITION | PLACES | LAST CHEQUE | TAKEN BY | WINNER | TIMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FA Cup 2026/27 | 743 | £375£375 | 219 | £4,144,000£4.1m | 11,051 |
| 2 | FA Trophy 2026/27 | 336 | £400£400 | 16 | £98,250£98k | 246 |
| 3 | US Open 2026 | 240 | £24,060£24k | 64 | £4,135,338£4.1m | 172 |
| 4 | Wimbledon 2026 | 240 | £20,000£20k | 64 | £3,600,000£3.6m | 180 |
| 5 | Roland Garros 2026 | 240 | £20,513£21k | 64 | £2,393,162£2.4m | 117 |
| 6 | Australian Open 2026 | 240 | £21,429£21k | 64 | £2,195,767£2.2m | 102 |
| 7 | Joy Cup World Heyball Masters 2026 | 240 | £902£902 | 112 | £563,458£563k | 625 |
| 8 | Chess World Cup 2025 | 206 | £2,632£3k | 78 | £90,226£90k | 34.3 |
| 9 | 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters | 143 | £2,000£2k | 32 | £500,000£500k | 250 |
| 10 | Derby City Classic 2026 9-Ball | 138 | £113£113 | 44 | £15,038£15k | 133 |
| 11 | Derby City Classic 2026 Bank Pool | 129 | £150£150 | 47 | £15,038£15k | 100 |
| 12 | PDC World Championship 2026 | 128 | £15,000£15k | 64 | £1,000,000£1.0m | 66.7 |
| 13 | UK Open 2026 | 128 | £1,250£1k | 32 | £120,000£120k | 96.0 |
| 14 | 2025 9Club Snooker Shoot Out | 128 | £250£250 | 64 | £50,000£50k | 200 |
| 15 | 2026 Halo World Championship | 112 | £5,000£5k | 32 | £500,000£500k | 100 |
| 16 | 2025 Victorian Plumbing UK Championship | 112 | £2,500£3k | 32 | £250,000£250k | 100 |
| 17 | 2026 SATUO Window Cleaning Robot China Open | 109 | £2,500£3k | 32 | £250,000£250k | 100 |
| 18 | Women's Chess World Cup 2025 | 107 | £2,820£3k | 43 | £37,594£38k | 13.3 |
| 19 | Derby City Classic 2026 One Pocket | 106 | £150£150 | 36 | £15,038£15k | 100 |
| 20 | 2026 BetVictor Welsh Open | 96 | £1,000£1k | 32 | £100,000£100k | 100 |
| 21 | 2026 BetVictor Championship League | 96 | £1,000£1k | 32 | £33,000£33k | 33.0 |
| 22 | 2025 Peri 9-Ball Open | 96 | £376£376 | 32 | £30,075£30k | 80.0 |
| 23 | 2026 Machineseeker German Masters | 94 | £1,000£1k | 32 | £100,000£100k | 100 |
| 24 | 2026 BetVictor English Open | 92 | £1,000£1k | 31 | £100,000£100k | 100 |
| 25 | 2025 Northern Ireland Open | 92 | £1,000£1k | 32 | £100,000£100k | 100 |
| 26 | 2026 Wuhan Open | 90 | £1,500£2k | 31 | £140,000£140k | 93.3 |
| 27 | 2025 BetVictor Scottish Open | 90 | £1,000£1k | 30 | £100,000£100k | 100 |
| 28 | PDC World Masters 2026 | 88 | £750£750 | 32 | £100,000£100k | 133 |
| 29 | DFB-Pokal 2026/27 | 64 | £195,033£195k | 32 | £11,205,298£11.2m | 57.5 |
| 30 | Players Championship Finals 2025 | 64 | £3,000£3k | 32 | £120,000£120k | 40.0 |
| 31 | 2026 Unibet British Open | 64 | £3,000£3k | 32 | £100,000£100k | 33.3 |
| 32 | 2026 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship | 64 | £2,256£2k | 32 | £75,188£75k | 33.3 |
| 33 | Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2025 | 64 | £752£752 | 32 | £30,075£30k | 40.0 |
| 34 | Philippines Open Pool Championship | 64 | £376£376 | 32 | £22,556£23k | 60.0 |
| 35 | 2025 Du Xiaoman Xi'an Grand Prix | 62 | £5,350£5k | 30 | £177,000£177k | 33.1 |
| 36 | 2025 International Championship | 59 | £5,000£5k | 27 | £175,000£175k | 35.0 |
| 37 | 2026 World Open | 57 | £2,500£3k | 1 | £175,000£175k | 70.0 |
| 38 | Austrian Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 39 | Baltic Sea Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 40 | Belgian Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 41 | Czech Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 42 | European Darts Grand Prix 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 43 | European Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 44 | European Darts Trophy 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 45 | German Darts Grand Prix 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 46 | Hungarian Darts Trophy 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 47 | International Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 48 | Poland Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 49 | Slovak Darts Open 2026 | 48 | £2,000£2k | 16 | £35,000£35k | 17.5 |
| 50 | Flanders Darts Trophy 2025 | 48 | £1,250£1k | 16 | £30,000£30k | 24.0 |
| 51 | German Darts Championship 2025 | 48 | £1,250£1k | 16 | £30,000£30k | 24.0 |
| 52 | Swiss Darts Trophy 2025 | 48 | £1,250£1k | 16 | £30,000£30k | 24.0 |
| 53 | 2025 Mezz Bucharest Open | 48 | £132£132 | 16 | £8,271£8k | 62.9 |
| 54 | 2026 Predator Luxembourg Open | 48 | £177£177 | 16 | £6,654£7k | 37.5 |
| 55 | 2025 Predator EPBF Estonian Open | 48 | £256£256 | 16 | £5,132£5k | 20.0 |
| 56 | Predator EuroTour Dutch Open 2025 | 48 | £248£248 | 16 | £4,962£5k | 20.0 |
| 57 | Kamui Slovenia Open 2025 | 48 | £248£248 | 16 | £4,962£5k | 20.0 |
| 58 | Predator Euro Tour Austrian Open | 48 | £244£244 | 16 | £4,872£5k | 20.0 |
| 59 | 2026 Indianapolis 500 | 33 | £76,692£77k | 4 | £3,263,534£3.3m | 42.6 |
| 60 | World Matchplay 2026 | 32 | £12,500£13k | 16 | £225,000£225k | 18.0 |
How many times the last cheque the winner takes, sport by sport
The FA Cup champion takes 11,051 times what an extra preliminary round loser is paid, the steepest ladder here by a distance. At Wimbledon the champion's £3,600,000 is 180 times the £20,000 paid for losing a first qualifying round match. Of the competitions paying 32 places or more, the flattest is Predator Spanish Open 2025: it pays 32 places and gives its winner 8.3 times the last of them.
The bottom band against the champion
Everyone who went out at the first paid stage, their money added together, against what the winner took alone
| # | COMPETITION | PAID | EACH | BETWEEN THEM | WINNER | TIMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Women's Chess World Cup 2025 | 43 | £2,820£3k | £121,241£121k | £37,594£38k | 3.23 |
| 2 | Australian Open 2026 | 64 | £79,365£79k | £5,079,365£5.1m | £2,195,767£2.2m | 2.31 |
| 3 | Chess World Cup 2025 | 78 | £2,632£3k | £205,263£205k | £90,226£90k | 2.28 |
| 4 | 2026 Longoni Italian Open | 16 | £871£871 | £13,943£14k | £6,535£7k | 2.13 |
| 5 | Roland Garros 2026 | 64 | £74,359£74k | £4,758,974£4.8m | £2,393,162£2.4m | 1.99 |
| 6 | Predator Spanish Open 2025 | 16 | £639£639 | £10,226£10k | £5,291£5k | 1.93 |
| 7 | US Open 2026 | 64 | £105,263£105k | £6,736,842£6.7m | £4,135,338£4.1m | 1.63 |
| 8 | Vice City Classic | 16 | £752£752 | £12,030£12k | £7,519£8k | 1.60 |
| 9 | Wimbledon 2026 | 64 | £80,000£80k | £5,120,000£5.1m | £3,600,000£3.6m | 1.42 |
| 10 | TAOM V10 Open | 8 | £902£902 | £7,218£7k | £6,015£6k | 1.20 |
| 11 | Brisbane International 2026 | 16 | £5,820£6k | £93,113£93k | £85,759£86k | 1.09 |
| 12 | European Championship 2025 | 16 | £7,500£8k | £120,000£120k | £120,000£120k | 1.00 |
| 13 | World Grand Prix 2025 | 16 | £7,500£8k | £120,000£120k | £120,000£120k | 1.00 |
| 14 | World Series of Darts Finals 2025 | 16 | £5,000£5k | £80,000£80k | £80,000£80k | 1.00 |
| 15 | 2026 Super Billiards Expo Pro Championship | 16 | £752£752 | £12,030£12k | £12,030£12k | 1.00 |
| 16 | 2026 BetVictor Championship League | 32 | £1,000£1k | £32,000£32k | £33,000£33k | 0.97 |
| 17 | 2026 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship | 32 | £2,256£2k | £72,180£72k | £75,188£75k | 0.96 |
| 18 | PDC World Championship 2026 | 64 | £15,000£15k | £960,000£960k | £1,000,000£1.0m | 0.96 |
| 19 | 2026 Unibet British Open | 32 | £3,000£3k | £96,000£96k | £100,000£100k | 0.96 |
| 20 | Austrian Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 21 | Baltic Sea Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 22 | Belgian Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 23 | Czech Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 24 | European Darts Grand Prix 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 25 | European Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 26 | European Darts Trophy 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 27 | German Darts Grand Prix 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 28 | Hungarian Darts Trophy 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 29 | International Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 30 | Poland Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 31 | Slovak Darts Open 2026 | 16 | £2,000£2k | £32,000£32k | £35,000£35k | 0.91 |
| 32 | 2025 Du Xiaoman Xi'an Grand Prix | 30 | £5,350£5k | £160,500£161k | £177,000£177k | 0.91 |
| 33 | Women's Brisbane International 2026 | 16 | £8,962£9k | £143,399£143k | £161,301£161k | 0.89 |
| 34 | World Matchplay 2026 | 16 | £12,500£13k | £200,000£200k | £225,000£225k | 0.89 |
| 35 | 2026 World Grand Prix | 16 | £10,000£10k | £160,000£160k | £180,000£180k | 0.89 |
| 36 | 2026 Bob Stocks Memorial 9-Ball | 8 | £752£752 | £6,015£6k | £6,767£7k | 0.89 |
| 37 | Women's Adelaide International 2026 | 14 | £8,459£8k | £118,421£118k | £139,474£139k | 0.85 |
| 38 | ASB Classic 2026 | 12 | £5,647£6k | £67,759£68k | £80,045£80k | 0.85 |
| 39 | Delray Beach Open 2026 | 12 | £5,647£6k | £67,759£68k | £80,045£80k | 0.85 |
| 40 | Hong Kong Open 2026 | 12 | £5,647£6k | £67,759£68k | £80,045£80k | 0.85 |
The twenty bottom bands that come closest to the winner
At 11 of 291 competitions the bottom band takes more between them than the winner does alone. The Australian Open 2026 is the clearest: 64 first-round losers at £79,365 each come to £5,079,365, against £2,195,767 for the champion. At the PDC World Championship 2026 the 64 first-round losers come to 0.96 of the winner's million. A skiing race pays its places one at a time, down to the 30th, so it has no bottom band to set against the winner and is not on this table.
Frequently asked questions
Which competition pays prize money to the most places?
The FA Cup 2026/27. It pays 743 clubs, from £375 for each of the 219 sides beaten in the extra preliminary round to £4,144,000 for the club that wins every tie from the first round proper.
How much do first-round losers get at Wimbledon?
£80,000 each. The 64 players beaten in the first round of each singles draw take £5,120,000 between them, 1.42 times the champion's £3,600,000. Losing in the first round of qualifying pays £20,000.
Do first-round losers earn more than the winner?
Between them, at 11 of the 291 competitions here. At the Australian Open 2026 the 64 first-round losers in a singles draw take £5,079,365, 2.31 times the £2,195,767 the champion collects.
What is the least a player can win at the PDC World Championship?
£15,000, paid to each of the 64 players beaten in the first round. The champion takes £1,000,000, 66.7 times as much, and all 128 players in the draw are paid.
How many players does the World Snooker Championship pay?
112 at the 2026 Halo World Championship, from £5,000 for each of the 32 players beaten in the last 112 to £500,000 for the champion.
Where to next
Every competition is ranked by the size of its pot on prize money in sport, how much of it the champion keeps on the winner's share of prize money, and the countries that have won the most on prize money by nation. Every place a woman is paid more than a man is on where women earn more prize money than men. Each sport keeps its own list: football, tennis, chess, snooker, darts, biathlon, alpine skiing, ski jumping, sled dog racing, squash, pool, motorsport, cross-country skiing, CrossFit, triathlon, speedway, esports, Nordic combined, cricket, curling, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, trail running, gymnastics, 3x3 basketball, figure skating, gravel racing, Enhanced Games, fencing, speed skating.