The struggle for equality between men and women is a common theme throughout the world. In a historic day, the United States has taken a step forward on this issue, at least in the sports arena, following the announcement made by US Soccer of the agreement reached so that both the USMNT and the USWNT will have pay equity. Starting by the share of the Qatar 2022 bonus that the men are receiving.
The gap between the two groups was not only in salary until now. It was also in the area of strictly sporting achievements and results. The USMNT’s greatest achievement was third place in the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930. In addition to 7 Gold Cup titles, the Concacaf regional championship.
On the other hand, the USWNT has a completely different story, as it is, quite simply, the National Team with the most FIFA Women’s World Cup wins, with four. In fact, this team also boasts 4 Olympic gold medals won in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012.
The million-dollar amount to be divided equally between the USMNT and the USWNT
US Soccer’s announcement has as its central argument that from now until 2028, both the USMNT and USWNT will receive similar payments across the board. Something that did not happen before, starting from the fact that the bonuses awarded by FIFA for participating in its international tournaments are not similar for men and women.
For example, in 2019, the USWNT received $4 million in prize money for winning the two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup; France, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia champion took home $38 million. Simply put, in 2014, the USMNT received $5.4 million for its participation in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where it was eliminated in the Round of 16.
For participating in Qatar 2022, the USMNT is already assured of $10.5 million, regardless of its performance. Should it advance to the Round of 16, its bonus would increase to US$14.5 million, US$18.5 million if it reaches the Quarter Finals, US$25 million if it advances to the Semifinals, US$27 million if it is third place, US$30 million if it is runner-up and US$42 million if it wins the title.
Thus, the minimum $10.5 million that the USMNT will receive will be split in two: 90 percent to be shared equally with the USWNT and 10 percent to go to US Soccer. This bonus split represents a 54 percent increase from what the USWNT received in 2018 (a year before the 2019 World Cup), according to USA Today.
Megan Rapinoe, USWNT. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Other agreements focused on pay equity between the USMNT and the USWNT
Regarding the payment or bonus per match played, both USMNT and USWNT players will receive the same amount: for each victory against an opponent ranked among the first 25 in the FIFA Ranking, US$18,000; in case of a draw, the payment is reduced to US$12,000 and in case of a loss, US$8,000. With teams outside the top 25, the amounts are $13,000 for a win, $10,000 for a draw and $8,000 for a loss.
Likewise, each player will receive a payment of US$10,000 for being part of the squad that plays in a World Cup, an additional US$14,000 for winning a match and US$10,000 for a draw. In addition, broadcast and sponsorship revenues will be divided equally between the USMNT and the USWNT.
Regarding the income generated from ticket sales, the following agreement was reached:”U.S. Soccer will pay the USWNT and USMNT players a share of the revenue from tickets sold at U.S. Soccer-controlled home matches and a bonus amount for those games that are sellouts.”,as announced by US Soccer itself.
It was also announced that all USWNT players will have the following insurance benefits (medical, dental, vision), parental leave (pregnancy and care of newborn or newly adopted child) for 6 months, and short-term disability.
The USMNT during Qatar 2022 Concacaf Qualifiers. (Arnoldo Robert/Getty Images)
