Archive · 31 Aug 2026
US Open 2026 Champion Prize Dwarfs IPL and Cricket Payouts
The 2026 US Open will give its singles champions $5.5 million each.
That is about ₹52.3 crore for one tennis player.
This prize is much larger than the ₹20 crore given to the IPL winning team.
It is also more than twice India’s prize allocation for winning the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The tennis prize is bigger than the entire winning purse for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
Cricket prizes are given to teams, while the US Open prize goes to one individual.
Tennis players who lose early will also receive more money than before.
The tournament says its larger payments are meant to give players a fairer share of the money.
The 2026 US Open will pay each men’s and women’s singles champion $5.5 million, about ₹52.3 crore.
The winner’s cheque is 2.6 times the ₹20 crore prize for the IPL 2026 champions.
The singles prize is roughly 2.1 times India’s $2.64 million allocation for winning the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The US Open champion will receive $1.5 million more than the winning purse at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The tournament’s total player compensation will reach $108 million, while first-round losers will receive a record $140,000.
- Who
- The men’s and women’s singles champions, other US Open players, the United States Tennis Association, and cricket and IPL winners.
- What
- The 2026 US Open has announced a record $5.5 million singles champion prize and a $108 million player compensation package.
- When
- The payments apply to the 2026 US Open; comparisons include the 2026 IPL and T20 World Cup and the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
- Where
- The US Open is held in New York.
- Why
- The United States Tennis Association says the increased payments are intended to provide players a fair share, amid demands for greater revenue sharing.
Tournament organizers’ position
Players’ position
How prize money should be distributed
Tournament organizers’ position
The United States Tennis Association describes the $108 million package as an effort to give players a fair share and has added a $2 million Player Support Program.
Players’ position
Leading players continue to push for a formal revenue-sharing model so competitors receive a larger share of the money generated by Grand Slam tournaments.
- Singles champion prize
- $5.5 million, approximately ₹52.3 crore
- Increase from 2025
- 10%, up from $5 million
- Total player compensation
- $108 million, compared with $90 million in 2025 and $75 million in 2024
- IPL 2026 champions’ prize
- ₹20 crore
- India’s 2026 T20 World Cup allocation
- $2,639,423
- 2023 Cricket World Cup champions’ purse
- $4 million
- US Open first-round payout
- $140,000, a 27% increase from the previous year