La Liga club set to profit from Barcelona star’s presence at the 2026 World Cup

La Liga club set to profit from Barcelona star’s presence at the 2026 World Cup One of the biggest transfer sagas last summer was Barcelona signing Joan Garcia from their bitter rivals Espanyol. The two Catalan clubs have no love lost for one another, and it is very rare to see a player cross the invisible divide in either direction. Joan Garcia took that leap of faith to join Barça, though, and in less than a season, he has gone on to become one of the team’s most important players. This also saw him receive a call-up to the Spain team for the first time in March, and he also made the squad for the ongoing FIFA World Cup . His World Cup involvement with Spain is not only good news for Barcelona. It will also bring a financial reward for Espanyol. According to AS , FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme will compensate the clubs connected to Joan Garcia because he is part of Spain’s squad at the World Cup. Joan Garcia is a part of the Spain squad at the World Cup. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Barcelona will receive money as his current club, while Espanyol are also entitled to a share because he played there during the previous season. It does sound a bit strange. Joan left Espanyol for Barcelona after the Blaugrana paid his release clause, but his rise with Spain still gives his former club a final financial benefit. How the money is divided The FIFA programme is designed to compensate clubs who release players for the World Cup. In Joan’s case, the distribution is split into three parts. One third goes to the club where the player is registered during the tournament, which is Barcelona. Another third goes to the club where he was registered at the start of the 2025-26 season. The final third goes to the club where he played in the previous campaign, which is Espanyol. The amount depends on how long Spain remain in the tournament. FIFA assigns a daily payment from the moment the player is released to join his national team until his team is eliminated. Joan Garcia had a memorable season at Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Because Spain have reached the round of 32, Espanyol are already expected to receive at least around €106,200. If Spain reach the final, that figure could rise to around €160,880. Barça’s signing looks stronger For Barcelona, this is another small reminder of how important Joan’s development has become. The club took a decisive step by signing him from Espanyol, and he has already settled quickly enough to earn recognition from Luis de la Fuente with Spain. That says a lot about his level and his mentality. There will naturally be attention on Espanyol receiving money from his World Cup run, especially given the rivalry and the way the transfer happened, but Barça cannot be bothered about it. The real benefit for the club from this is entirely sporting. Barcelona have secured a goalkeeper entering a major phase of his career, one who is already gaining international status and big-tournament experience. If Spain continue advancing, the payments will rise. More importantly for Barcelona, even if he does not play a game, Joan Garcia’s reputation will keep rising too.