In modern Irish sport, eyes are always on the prize. When Ireland face Italy in their Guinness Men’s Six Nations clash against Italy at a sold-out Aviva Stadium at 2.10pm, winning will be about a lot more than healing bruised pride.
The overall winning team in the Six Nations series will pick up around €7.5m for their international union, dropping down to €4m for finishing second, right down to €115,000 for the team taking the wooden spoon in sixth place.
For the IRFU, who reported a €4.2m operating deficit in their financial report for the year ended July 2025, that’s a huge swing. “The ongoing success of our men’s national team, and their ability to compete on the global stage, remains critical to our long-term financial wellbeing, as they generate more than 80% of our revenues,” said IRFU honorary treasurer Patrick Kennedy.
The €7.5m coming from spring success for Ireland is one of the biggest prizes available to an Irish sporting body. So what are the biggest money prizes in Irish sport?
The GAA remains an amateur association, with players and counties not picking up a financial prize success.
In soccer’s League of Ireland, the prizes on offer are dwarfed by the €200m for the winner of England’s Premier League. Nevertheless the winners of the 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division will receive €125,000, with the runners-up in the top flight earning €70,000, and third-place earning €48,000, with all three having the potential to claim millions more through European football qualification. The bottom of the league side will earn €25,500.
The favourites for the First Division title, Cork City, began their campaign last night against Treaty United at Turner’s Cross after suffering relegation last season. With decreased match revenue in the second tier, Barry Robson’s Cork side could well do with the €38,000 on offer for winning the First Division.
The total prize fund for the Women’s League of Ireland Premier Division is €115,000, with the winning side to receive €15,000, scaling down to €5,000 to the team finishing bottom.
Troy Parrott’s heroics in Hungary mean the Republic of Ireland national team are still hoping to qualify for the World Cup being held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico from June. If Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men can navigate two play-off fixtures – including a sellout Aviva Stadium clash next month – the cash-strapped FAI will receive a guaranteed minimum of €9m in prize-money for World Cup qualification.
Some 9,000km away in Sri Lanka, tomorrow Ireland’s cricketers face Botswana at 5.30am Irish time looking to pick up their first win of the in the T20 Cricket World Cup group phase. A group match win is worth in the region of €28,900 for Ireland.
While all these prizes are badly needed by their sporting organisations, the most lucrative prizes in Irish sport are often in the individual competitors.
Rory McIlroy is considered Ireland’s richest sportsman and in September 2025, the Holywood club star picked up a handy €873,463 for winning the Amgen Irish Open at the K Club, part of an overall €5.2m prize fund on offer for Irish professional golf’s national showpiece.
Meanwhile when England’s Lottie Wood won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in July at Carton House, she picked up a cheque for €67,500, part of an overall €450,000 prize fund.
Last year, Katie Taylor received over $6m for winning the third of her bouts with Amanda Serrano, but the Bray star has not decided to take a step back from boxing.
Conor McGregor was ranked as the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2021 with earnings of $158m, and the MMA fighter has been teasing a payday return to fight influencer Logan Paul.
But some of the biggest annual prizes in Irish sport are reserved for horse racing and show jumping.
Last month, Horse Racing Ireland announced an overall increase of €4.3m in its prize money for 2026 to €85m.
In Irish flat racing, from March 1, each top level group one race has a minimum value of €400,000, up from €300,000. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby which takes place on Sunday, June 28, is Ireland’s richest race, with a €1.25m prize fund and around €725,000 for connections of the winning horse.
Horse racing is on a different level to greyhound racing, but Greyhound Racing Ireland increased prize money on its races in 2026, with the highest level all aged open prize money increasing 16% to €400 for the winner, second place €120, and third place €50.
Coursing, meanwhile, saw a €50,000 top prize to the winning connections of the Irish Derby winner at Powerstown Park in Clonmel last week.
While huge money is invested in prize money, there is payback. According to the Federation of Irish Sport, the overall value of sport to the Irish economy is estimated to be €3.7bn annually.
Meanwhile events like the Irish Derby weekend and the Irish Open – and the upcoming Ryder Cup at Adare Manor – bring huge returns to the State.
Back to this weekend, and the sellout Aviva Stadium crowd to watch Ireland face Italy can help bring a €50m ripple effect to the economy through food, accommodation, and other spending.
And while most will be more worried about the points on offer and Six Nations success, the IRFU’s finance department know a victory can keep Ireland in the hunt for a handy €7.5m payout in March.
