The U.S. men’s national team will share the $16 million it earned for reaching the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup with the U.S. women’s national team under a landmark equal-pay agreement between U.S. Soccer and its players. Under the 2022 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), U.S. Soccer retains 20% of FIFA World Cup prize money, while the men’s and women’s national teams split the remaining 80% equally, giving each team $6.4 million from the men’s tournament.
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The U.S. women have not yet qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, and the roster for that tournament has not been selected. Their $6.4 million share will remain in an interest-bearing account until the team is finalized, with the accrued interest also split between the men’s and women’s teams. FIFA has not yet announced the prize money for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has previously stated his intent to equal men’s and women’s prize money by the 2027 World Cup. Those comments came before the dramatic increase to prize money at this year’s expanded men’s edition, which nearly doubled from four years ago (the total number of teams also increased from 32 to 48).
The 2023 Women’s World Cup paid a total of $110 million, up from $30 million in 2019. U.S. Soccer pays both its men’s and women’s players $10,000 per World Cup match regardless of outcome.
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If the U.S. men’s team had defeated Belgium on Monday and reached the quarterfinals, they would have received $20 million in prize money. The U.S. men last made the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup. The U.S. women’s team were eliminated in the round of 16 for the first time in 2023 after previously finishing third or better in every prior World Cup. The reward for that 2023 finish from FIFA was $1.87 million. The U.S. women’s team have won four World Cups, including back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019.
The CBA, which runs through 2028, is the result of efforts by the women’s team to secure equal pay. The women’s team sued the federation in 2019, and in 2022 won a $22 million settlement. (The men also got $11 million in back pay of their own after playing without a CBA for years.)