VANCOUVER, April 29 -- Fifa on Tuesday boosted overall World Cup cash distributions to nearly US$900 million (RM3.5 billion) following concerns over the spiraling costs for teams taking part in the tournament.

Football's global governing body said in a statement that money shared between the 48 teams taking part in the finals in Mexico, Canada and the United States would now total US$871 million, up from an initial figure of US$727 million announced in December.

The cash injection was announced following a meeting of Fifa's ruling council ahead of the body's Congress taking place in Vancouver on Thursday.

The hefty increase comes after several Fifa members reportedly argued that the high cost of travel, tax and overall operations could...