FIFA shocked Real Madrid.

Real Madrid are at risk of losing FIFA’s financial compensation to clubs for their players to participate in the 2026 World Cup, after the International Federation insisted that left-back Marc Cucurella be registered as a Chelsea player and not a Real Madrid player, despite officially announcing on June 15 that he was joining Real Madrid.

According to all official FIFA reports that have mentioned Mark Cucurella and his club, they refer to Chelsea, where he played last season and earned his place in the Spain national team. He was also playing for the London club during the official registration for the 2026 World Cup.

Real announced the signing of Cukurella from Chelsea on 15 June, four days after the start of the World Cup, but FIFA still includes the Spanish player in Chelsea’s player list in all official documents and name lists it submits before matches.

Despite Real’s support for Cucurella ahead of the games and his celebrating Spain’s victory in the tournament as a player, FIFA regulations officially classify him as a Chelsea player, meaning the London club are legally entitled to financial compensation, not Royal.

The situation could represent a financial loss for Real Madrid, who were hoping to get their share of financial compensation thanks to the involvement of Spanish champions Cucurella, but a literal interpretation of FIFA regulations could see them stripped of that money in favor of Chelsea.

Notably, FIFA pays clubs millions of dollars in compensation for loaning their players to their national teams during the World Cup, and this compensation is calculated based on the number of days and matches each player plays with their team.