FIFA announces pay increase for players in 2023 Women’s World Cup

Every player at the Women’s World Cup will be paid at least $30,000 by FIFA, and the 23 players in the title-winning team will each get $270,000.

The details confirmed Thursday by FIFA fulfills a promise made in March to financially reward the 732 players taking part in the July 20-Aug. 20 tournament hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

It means more than half of FIFA’s total prize money fund of $110 million must be paid to the players in the 32 team squads.

FIFA will pay $10.5 million to the title-winning nation. The majority of that, $6.21 million, will be distributed among the players with the remaining $4.29 million going to the federation.

While each player on the winning team will receive $270,000, players on the second-place team will receive $195,000 each. For the team that wins the third-place game, each player on that team will receive $180,000 while the players on the losing team in that game will each receive $165,000.

Players on teams that are knocked out in the quarterfinals will each get $90,000 and players on teams eliminated in the Round of 16 will return home with $60,000 each.

Players from the 16 teams which do not advance from the group stage are still guaranteed to get $30,000 — more than the annual salary many get from their clubs. The 16 nations exiting in the group stage will get a total of $2.25 million from FIFA — $690,000 to shares among the players and $1,560,000 for the federation.

The $110 million pool is more than three times the $30 million prize fund FIFA paid out at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.

FIFA previously said it is making “a huge investment in women’s football and, for the first time ever, we are guaranteeing prize money for players.”

“Under this unprecedented new distribution model, each individual player at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 can now fully rely on remuneration for their efforts as they progress through the tournament,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “The captain that ultimately lifts the iconic FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy on August 20 in Sydney will receive $270,000, as will each of her 22 teammates.

“The global salary of women’s professional footballers is approximately [$]14,000 annually, so the amounts allocated under this unprecedented new distribution model will have a real and meaningful impact on the lives and careers of these players. Beyond this, all member associations will also receive a record financial distribution based on their performance, which they can use to reinvest back into football in their countries and which we believe will help to propel the women’s game even further.”

The players’ union, FIFPRO, challenged FIFA to secure a “global guarantee” that 30% of the prize money would go to players.

“FIFPRO is very pleased with the steps taken by FIFA in establishing this guaranteed player payment mechanism,” FIFPRO president David Aganzo said in a statement. “The key behind the success of this model is that it is universally applied, and it is fair, which is what female footballers tell us they want above all else. We see this as only the beginning of what will be a transformational journey for the women’s professional football landscape together with FIFA.”

FIFA previously allocated $30.7 million in total to help the 32F teams prepare for the tournament. The players’ clubs will also get daily-rate payments from an $11.5 million fund for releasing them to national team duty.

It adds up to $152 million in FIFA payments compared to $50 million for the tournament four years ago.

Infantino has set a target of equal prize money for men and women at their next World Cups in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The 32 national federations whose teams played at the men’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar shared $440 million in FIFA prize money.

Infantino has cited getting a better commercial deal for women’s soccer as the reason for publicly pushing broadcasters in key European markets to raise their offers for tournament rights.

Deals in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — all with teams in the tournament lineup — are unsigned just six weeks before the opening game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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