Women call on FIFA to equalise World Cup prize money 

Women call on FIFA to equalise World Cup prize money 

Four months out from the 2023 Women's World Cup, 150 players from 25 women's national teams have signed a letter calling on FIFA to equalise World Cup prize money, as well as conditions and resources, and enshrine those principles in a global collective bargaining agreement.

The 2022 men's World Cup had a total prize pot of $US440m, while for the 2023 Women's World Cup it is expected to be about $69m

The letter also asks for equality to be enshrined in a global collective bargaining agreement

The letter has been backed by FIFPro, the global players' union that represents roughly 65,000 professional footballers worldwide, which helped deliver it to FIFA president Gianni Infantino last October, just before the start of the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar.

Signed by players from nations on every continent, including Australia and current world champions USA, the letter calls on FIFA to implement three major reforms that "set a path for women's footballers to have viable economic prospects through FIFA's reach, resources, and already-stated statutory commitments to non-discrimination".

These reforms include embedding equality into World Cup regulations and conditions such as travel to and from tournaments, the size of staff delegations, and access to facilities and training venues.

Further, the players also want a structural guarantee that they'll receive at least 30 per cent of Women's World Cup prize money "so that our sport continues to develop professionally".

Currently, FIFA distributes prize money to national federations, which then decide what to do with it, instead of distributing it directly to players themselves. In the past, this has resulted in players receiving no money at all for their tournament participation, with federations using the money for other purposes.

"You, as FIFA, have stated that 'women's football is the single biggest growth opportunity in football today, and it remains a top priority for FIFA. Although the game has grown exponentially at all levels, the passion and rising popularity of the sport offers vast untapped potential,'" the letter says.

Despite that, it says, the global game remains "profoundly unequal" for women, to the point where, even at its biggest tournaments, players "come in ... as amateurs or semi-professional, which undermines their preparation and, in turn, the quality of the football we see on the pitch".

The letter also highlights that the enormous prize pot on offer at the men's World Cup incentivises federations to invest more heavily in men's programs, often to the detriment of their women's teams.

While Women's World Cup prize money has grown over the past two cycles, it is still vastly outstripped by the men's tournament. Last year's World Cup in Qatar had a total prize pot of $US440 million ($655 million), with Argentina receiving roughly $US42 million for winning the title.

By contrast, at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France, the total prize pot was just $US30 million, with the USA receiving $US1 million for winning.

FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura said the 2023 edition would likely "double" the 2019 prize money, bringing it up to roughly $US69 million, but it will still be several factors smaller than the men's pot, which is also expected to increase for the expanded 2026 edition.

This is not the first time FIFA has been called upon to equalise World Cup prize money.