European countries still expect to lose money at World Cup despite prize fund increase

• European nations wanted more merit-based prize money

• High costs of travel and hotels will exceed Fifa payouts

A number of leading European countries still expect to lose money at the World Cup despite Fifa increasing the prize and participation fund by $112m (£82m) this week.

The main host federation, US Soccer, is also understood to be forecasting an operational loss on the tournament, although that will be more than offset by a projected $100m windfall from a revenue-sharing agreement from ticket sales with Fifa that will also benefit the two other co-hosts, Canada and Mexico.