How Wimbledon prize money grew to a 2026 record high
The 2026 Wimbledon mixed doubles prize for winning pairs is £148,000 — a 10% rise from 2025 — within a record £64.2 million total purse. Men's and women's singles champions each earn £3.6 million, reflecting equal pay that Wimbledon achieved in 2007 after decades of disparity traced in a World Economic Forum chart since the 1968 Open Era. That growth matters because prize money now sits at the centre of player negotiations and broader debates about wealth in sport.
Key Takeaways
- The 2026 total prize pot is £64.2 million ($86.1 million), up 20% from £53.5 million in 2025.
- Mixed doubles champions receive £148,000 per pair, with first-round losers earning £5,200.
- Men's and women's singles winners each take home £3.6 million under equal-pay rules in place since 2007.
- A World Economic Forum chart tracks prize growth from the 1968 Open Era through the 2007 parity milestone.
- Players welcomed the 2026 uplift but continued pressing for a larger share of grand slam revenues.
How much is the Wimbledon mixed doubles prize in 2026?
The All England Club pays mixed doubles winners £148,000 per pair at the 2026 Championships, a 10% increase from 2025, according to The Independent. Runners-up receive £74,000, semifinalists £37,000, and quarter-finalists £19,000.
First-round mixed doubles exits pay £5,200 per pair, while second-round losers earn £10,000. Those figures sit well below the £760,000 that men's and women's doubles champions collect, but they still reflect the broader prize-money expansion across every Wimbledon draw this year.
When did Wimbledon reach equal prize money for men and women?
Wimbledon matched men's and women's singles payouts in 2007, making it the last of the four Grand Slams to do so, the World Economic Forum notes. The US Open led in 1973, the Australian Open followed in 2001, and the French Open reached parity in 2006.
A Forum chart maps how Wimbledon prize money for both genders has climbed since 1968, when professional players were first allowed to compete in ITF-sanctioned tournaments. That timeline highlights how long the gap persisted before 2007, and how both lines have risen sharply in the decades since.
How much is the total 2026 Wimbledon prize pool?
The 2026 Championships carry a record £64.2 million purse, roughly $86.1 million, after a 20% single-year increase from last year's £53.5 million pot, CBS Sports reports. Qualifying prize money rose to £6.2 million.
Singles champions each receive £3.6 million — up from the £3 million paid to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek in 2025. Semifinalists earn £900,000, and CBS Sports notes that reaching the singles semifinals guarantees more than $1 million when converted to dollars. First-round singles losers still collect £80,000.
Why does Wimbledon prize growth matter beyond tennis?
Prize money was a flashpoint ahead of the 2026 tournament. The All England Club called its increase the biggest single-year uplift ever, and leading players described it as a genuine step forward, though protests over revenue sharing continued before a constructive meeting with officials, The Independent reported.
The Forum frames Wimbledon pay as a wider equity story. Global revenues for women's sport have risen 240% in four years, yet full gender parity across all areas could still take 123 years at current progress, per its 2025 Global Gender Gap Report. For readers tracking athlete wealth, see more in our Net Worth & Wealth coverage.