Robben Island (South Africa): The winners of next year's World Cup final in South Africa will collect a cheque for $30 million, FIFA said on Thursday.
The runners-up will receive $24 million and all participating teams will receive an extra $1 million to cover their preparation costs.
The decision was announced after FIFA's Executive Committee met on Robben Island, the former prison island where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years under the apartheid regime.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Secretary General Jerome Valcke addressed some 250 media representatives taken by ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island, where the announcement was made in the stone-floored former prison hall.
Valcke said the total prize money available to the 32 finalists would be $420 million, up 61 percent from the 261.4 million in 2006.
The semi-finalists would win $20 million, the quarter-finalists $18 million, second-round losers $9.0 million and those eliminated at the group stage $8.0 million.
Valcke said FIFA would also provide $40 million for clubs whose players took part in the tournament.
"Every club who has a player at the World Cup will receive $1,600 per day, per player," Valcke said.
"The money will be paid 15 days before the start of the tournament and to one day after the players' participation in the World Cup ends."
The money will be paid to clubs through their national associations and, as part of the package, clubs have agreed not to pursue claims for any possible compensation through civil courts but only through FIFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Significant day
Blatter said Robben Island was a significant choice of venue for FIFA.
"Robben Island plays an important part in the story of humanity and this is a significant day for FIFA. Robben Island is linked to the story of a revolution by young people in a political system where they had no access. When people talk about Robben Island they naturally talk about Nelson Mandela but others were involved like South African President Jacob Zuma who refereed matches here played by prisoners."
"He has now been promoted to the position of honorary referee by FIFA."
FIFA decided to keep their existing Olympic rules for the 2012 London Games, which means that qualifying teams must use players under 23 years old with the exception of three over-age players.
They also ratified the suspension of Iraq from all international football because of government interference in the running of the sport.
Top seeds nervously eye France
France will assume the role of international pariah when the draw for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa takes place on Friday.
FIFA's decision not to seed the 1998 World Cup winners has left France as the most dangerous floater in the draw for the 32-nation tournament and the team the eight top seeds will all most want to avoid.
France, losing finalists to Italy in the last World Cup in 2006, acquired sudden notoriety last month when they went through a playoff against Ireland thanks to a goal following a blatant handball by French striker Thierry Henry.
But the French could hardly have imagined they would become even more unpopular, albeit for sporting rather than unsporting reasons, once FIFA decided on Wednesday not to seed them.
The eight top seeds, one for each of the eight groups of four teams, will be hosts South Africa, holders Italy, Brazil, Argentina, England, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke told a news conference on Wednesday the seedings were based on October's FIFA world rankings.
None of the seeded nations would fancy such a dangerous opponent as France in their group although Portugal, another unseeded team and Ivory Coast, probably the best of Africa's six representatives, are also on the list of teams they would hope to avoid.
No disappointment
French Football Federation President Jean-Pierre Escalettes said France was not disappointed at not being seeded.
"There is no good news or bad news just like there is no good draw or bad draw," he said. "In 2006, everyone thought we had an easy draw and we struggled to go through. I hope we will not be in a 'Group of Death'."
The draw starts at 1700 GMT in Cape Town's International Convention Centre and will be broadcast live to more than 200 countries in a 90-minute television spectacular hosted by South African actor Charlize Theron and Valcke.
Appropriately for Africa's first World Cup, there will be a strong African theme to the draw which will feature African music and dancing and a number of African sports personalities.
Most of the coaches of the 32 teams will also attend although Argentina's Diego Maradona will be forced to stay away after being banned from football by FIFA for two months for a foul-mouthed tirade against journalists following his team's qualification for the finals.
Hosts South Africa already know they will be in Group A and play their opening match at Football City in Johannesburg on June 11. The same stadium hosts the final on July 11.
Apart from the seeds, who will be placed in pot one, teams will be placed in three other pots to prevent teams from the same continent facing each other.
The second pot will comprise eight teams from Asia, North and Central America and Oceania -- Australia, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, North Korea, South Korea and United States.
The third pot will be the five other African countries and three remaining South American nations -- Algeria, Cameroon, Chile, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The final pot is made up of the eight remaining teams from Europe -- Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
The European seeds will be bound to meet one European opponent but the draw mechanics will prevent South Africa playing another African country and Argentina and Brazil meeting a South American team.
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