The last international break was not beneficial to Leeds United. Dan James reportedly aggravated his previous injury on international duty, and now the winger has suffered another setback over the weekend.
The break saw performances from some Leeds players that they would like to forget for the rest of the season. But it could all be worth it when these individuals end their World Cup qualifying campaigns in the upcoming months as they eye a place in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup.
And now more than ever, Leeds having major representation at the competition could be an astronomical benefit to the club as a whole.
QUIZ: Can you name the team Leeds United signed these players from?
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FIFA announce groundbreaking deal that could benefit some clubs
Credit: Imago
FIFA made a huge announcement on Tuesday afternoon. The world football organizing body have officially committed to share £260million between clubs who have their players called up for upcoming qualifiers and the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. This time around, clubs will be compensated when releasing players for qualifiers even if they do not make it to the showpiece event next summer.
At the last World Cup, £153m was shared between 440 clubs for releasing players. The new Club Benefits Programme now has a £260m cash pot representing a massive 70 per cent increase from the last edition. FIFA were reported to have disbursed around £9,000 per player per day, with Premier League clubs receiving between £3.5m (Manchester City) and £300,000 (Bournemouth).
FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke about the agreement: “The enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament.”
Which Leeds United players could make the World Cup?
Brenden Aaronson could be called up for the USMNT if he is in form around the tournament; there have been whispers that game time could deny him a spot in the final squad. Welsh trio Dan James, Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon and most recently Charlie Crew. Sweden and Slovenia are not totally out of World Cup qualification yet so Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson could be in with a shout.
And with his performances raising eyebrows in Germany, Anton Stach could be a shock candidate to make the showcase. Leeds could end up with a whole host of players at the 2026 World Cup.
