For the First Time in the Women's World Cup, All Players Will Receive at Least $30,000

For the first time in the Women's World Cup, all players participating in this sporting event will receive at least $30,000 in wages. According to the Associated Press, this decision followed requests from around the world that began in late last year, urging FIFA to increase the prizes for the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. These requests had been made in previous tournaments, but this time it was different. The players not only demanded equal prizes to those of the Men's World Cup but also sought guarantees that a percentage of the prizes would go directly to the players themselves. FIFA did not agree to award equal prizes to the Women's World Cup as it does for men, but it tripled the prizes for the 2023 tournament compared to the previous one in 2019. Meanwhile, FIFA's governing body agreed in June that part of these prizes must be paid directly to the players, totaling 732 individuals. Thus, regardless of the teams' results in the World Cup, each player will receive at least $30,000. This amount will increase if teams advance to the later stages, with each of the 23 players on the champion team receiving $270,000. This wage is significant for many female players, as some are not members of any club and play football as amateurs or semi-professionals. FIFA published a report last year indicating that the average salary for female players was $14,000 per year. In the Australia and New Zealand World Cup, in addition to wages, accommodations, transportation, and other facilities for women have been improved compared to the past and are offered at standards equal to those of men. In previous tournaments, FIFA awarded the prizes to the federations of the respective countries, which gave a small percentage to the players, and in some cases, no money reached these women. This time, $152 million has been allocated for the teams participating in the Women's World Cup, marking the first time it will be held with 32 teams. This amount includes team prizes, their preparations, and payments to the players' clubs. In the 2019 Women's World Cup in France, the amount for expenses was $40 million, and the prize was $30 million. In contrast, the prizes for the Men's World Cup last year in Qatar were $440 million. Countries eliminated after the group stage each earned $9 million. Earlier this year, Infantino, the FIFA president, stated that their goal is gender equality by the Men's World Cup in 2026 and the Women's World Cup in 2027.