Wimbledon prize money reached a record £64.2 million in 2026, and the men’s and women’s singles champions each walked away with £3.6 million — about $4.86 million at the exchange rate CBS Sports used when it valued the full purse at $86.1 million. That is the largest single check in the tournament’s 149-year history, and it went to Jannik Sinner and Linda Nosková.
- Wimbledon Prize Money in 2026: The Round-by-Round Numbers
- Why Wimbledon Prize Money Jumped 20% in One Year
- Losing Early Still Pays More Than You’d Guess
- Wimbledon Prize Money Was Not Always Equal
- What a Champion Actually Keeps
- Why Players Say Wimbledon Prize Money Still Isn’t Enough
- Frequently Asked Questions
The eye-catching part is not just the top number. According to the All England Club’s published prize money schedule, a player who loses in the very first round of the main draw still collects £80,000. A player who loses in the first round of qualifying — before the tournament even officially begins — gets £20,000.
Below, you’ll find the verified figures for every round, how the payouts have changed, why players still argue the pot is too small, and what actually happens to that money before a champion sees it. Every number here comes from the All England Club, the ATP Tour, the LTA, or major news reporting.
Wimbledon Prize Money in 2026: The Round-by-Round Numbers
The All England Club publishes a full prize money breakdown before each Championships. Here is how the 2026 singles draws paid out compared with 2025, using figures reported by the ATP Tour and the LTA.
| Round reached | 2026 payout | 2025 payout |
| Champion | £3,600,000 | £3,000,000 |
| Runner-up | £1,800,000 | £1,520,000 |
| Semi-finalist | £900,000 | £775,000 |
| Quarter-finalist | £480,000 | £400,000 |
| Fourth round | £300,000 | £240,000 |
| Third round | £185,000 | £152,000 |
| Second round | £126,000 | £99,000 |
| First round | £80,000 | £66,000 |
| Total tournament pot | £64,200,000 | £53,500,000 |
These figures apply identically to the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles draws. Doubles pays separately: the ATP Tour reports that men’s and women’s doubles champions split £760,000 per pair, while mixed doubles champions split £148,000 per pair — a 12% increase on the prior year.
Why Wimbledon Prize Money Jumped 20% in One Year
The 2026 increase was unusually steep. The All England Club raised the total pot by 20% over 2025, and the ATP Tour reported that payouts across the singles draws rose by an average of 22%. For comparison, the 2025 rise was about 7%.
The jump was not evenly spread. Early-round players got the biggest relative bumps: second-round money rose from £99,000 to £126,000, a 27% increase, while the champion’s check rose 20%. Qualifying money climbed the most of all, up 25% to a total of £6.2 million.
That pattern reflects a specific criticism the tournaments have faced — that Wimbledon prize money was heavily concentrated at the top while journeyman professionals struggled to break even on travel and coaching costs. Weighting increases toward the early rounds is a direct response to it.
Losing Early Still Pays More Than You’d Guess
Here’s the part casual fans usually find surprising. Under the 2026 schedule published by the All England Club, a player who loses their opening qualifying match at Roehampton — a match with almost no television coverage and a small crowd — receives £20,000.
Lose in the main draw’s first round instead, and you collect £80,000. That is real money for a player ranked outside the top 100, and it explains why qualifying weeks are so fiercely contested. For many professionals, three good qualifying weeks a year cover an entire season’s expenses.
Total qualifying prize money now sits at £6,208,000 across the gentlemen’s and ladies’ events, according to the tournament’s published figures. Roughly a tenth of the entire Wimbledon prize money pool goes to players who may never appear on a show court.
Wimbledon Prize Money Was Not Always Equal
Equal pay at Wimbledon is recent. In 1968, the first year professionals were allowed to compete, Rod Laver received £2,000 for winning the men’s title. Billie Jean King received £750 for winning the women’s title — less than 40% of what Laver earned for the same trophy.
King later described looking at that check and thinking the gap was striking. It took another 39 years to close. Wimbledon announced equal prize money in April 2007, becoming the last of the four Grand Slams to do so — the US Open had made the change back in 1973.
Venus Williams, who campaigned publicly for the change, won the 2007 title and became the first woman to collect a champion’s check equal to the men’s: £700,000. Roger Federer collected the identical amount the next day.
What a Champion Actually Keeps
The headline number is gross, not net. Under UK rules for non-resident entertainers and sportspeople, the payer generally withholds income tax at the basic rate of 20% from prize money paid to overseas players, and sends it to HMRC. So a £3.6 million check does not arrive as £3.6 million.
Withholding is only the starting point. Tax specialists who publish on this topic, including Saffery and Moore Kingston Smith, note that non-resident players typically must file a UK self-assessment return, with rates reaching up to 45% depending on the individual’s circumstances, and that allowable expenses like travel and coaching can be deducted.
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The UK can also tax a proportion of a player’s worldwide endorsement income tied to competing in Britain. Every player’s situation differs, and any player’s actual bill depends on their residency, treaty position, and expenses — questions for HMRC and a qualified tax professional, not a rule of thumb.
Why Players Say Wimbledon Prize Money Still Isn’t Enough
Despite record totals, top players have pushed the Grand Slams for a bigger cut. In 2025, a group of leading ATP and WTA players sent letters to all four majors asking for structural change rather than just larger checks.
Their central number: players currently receive roughly 16% of Grand Slam revenue, and they asked for that share to rise to about 22% by 2030. As reference points, athletes in the NFL, NBA, and MLB receive close to 50% of league revenue under collective bargaining agreements.
The letters, reported by Tennis.com and Forbes, also requested an annual $12 million contribution toward player pension, health, and maternity funds, plus a player council with a real voice in governance. Signatories included Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and Jack Draper.
So the growth in Wimbledon prize money and the players’ campaign are running in parallel. Bigger pots have not settled the underlying argument about what share of the tournament’s revenue belongs to the people on court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did the 2026 Wimbledon champions win?
Jannik Sinner and Linda Nosková each earned £3.6 million, roughly $4.86 million. Sinner beat Alexander Zverev to retain his title; Nosková beat Karolína Muchová for her first major. Both received identical Wimbledon prize money under the tournament’s equal pay policy.
Do men and women get the same Wimbledon prize money?
Yes. Wimbledon has paid equal singles prize money since 2007, when Venus Williams and Roger Federer each received £700,000. The 2026 schedule pays identical amounts in every round of both singles draws.
How much do first-round losers get?
£80,000 in the 2026 main draw, up from £66,000 in 2025. Players who lose in the first round of qualifying receive £20,000. Early-round Wimbledon prize money rose faster than the champion’s check this year.
Is Wimbledon prize money taxed?
Yes. UK rules generally require 20% withholding at source on payments to non-resident sportspeople, with a final liability determined through self-assessment. The exact outcome depends on residency, treaties, and deductible expenses, so players work with HMRC and their own advisers.
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Content last reviewed August 2026. If you notice outdated information, please contact us.
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