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THE World Cup may be the biggest sporting event in the world but it is far from the most lucrative.

Football is well represented when it comes to the top sporting jackpots, with four tournaments boasting some of the biggest prize money in sport according to a study conducted by My Betting Sites.

The World Cup is worth £35million to the winner
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The World Cup is worth £35million to the winnerCredit: Getty
The Rugby World Cup is one of the most lucrative tournaments in the world
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The Rugby World Cup is one of the most lucrative tournaments in the worldCredit: AFP

The Men's World Cup is worth a staggering £35million for the winner - with each player taking home around £1.5m.

It is considerably more lucrative than the Women's World Cup, which is worth just £8.5m.

That means it has the smallest prize pot of the football tournaments included in the top ten list, behind the Men's Euros and the Champions League.

Those two tournaments are the third and fourth most lucrative sporting events in the world with the Euros worth £24m and the Champions League £20m.

Despite the money involved in football, it is beaten to top spot by a different sport - Formula One.

The winner of the F1 world championship earns an eye-watering £110m.

Red Bull have won that prize pot in the previous three years thanks to Max Verstappen, which has given the driver a net worth of around £165m.

After the Women's World Cup the next biggest sporting jackpot comes in horse racing, with the Saudi Cup, which began in 2020, worth £7.8m to the winner.

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The Saudi Cup is a newcomer to the list in the last few years
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The Saudi Cup is a newcomer to the list in the last few years
Max Verstappen and Red Bull have picked up a cheque worth £110m for the last three years
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Max Verstappen and Red Bull have picked up a cheque worth £110m for the last three yearsCredit: AFP

The Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup cannot compare to the Saudi winnings, and do not appear in the top ten list.

Instead, the Men's Rugby World Cup and Cricket World Cup take seventh and eighth place.

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That leaves two golf tournaments to round up the top ten list - with the £2.8m US Open worth £300,000 more than The Masters.

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