US men’s and women’s soccer teams paid equally

Among a wider push for gender pay equality, it was announced on 18 May that the U.S. Men's National Team and the U.S. Women's National Team will be paid the same. The deal follows a February settlement that would offer back pay of $22 million to the women’s team.

“We are pleased to announce that, contingent on the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement, we will have resolved our longstanding dispute over equal pay and proudly stand together in a shared commitment to advancing equality in soccer,” both parties said in a joint statement. 

The May announcement is an expansion, offering an “equalization” of World Cup winnings among other things. 

“(The teams) have come together to agree to new collective bargaining agreements that will run through 2028 and achieve true equal pay – including equalization of World Cup prize money,” U.S. soccer announced on Twitter. 

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Reporting done by the Wall Street Journal found that the Women’s National Team earned more revenue than the men’s team, making an average of $50.8 million in revenue, compared with $49.9 million for men’s games.

But women earned less overall, both in qualifying and games won. Women’s team players would earn a maximum of $99,000 ($4,950 per game), while men’s team players would earn $263,320 ($13,166 per game).

“We hope that this Agreement and its historic achievements in not only providing for equal pay but also in improving the training and playing environment for national team players will similarly serve as the foundation for continued growth of women's soccer both in the United States and abroad,” Becky Sauerbrunn, a player on the women's team and president of the United States Women's National Team Players Association said in a statement.

Both teams will create a pool for World Cup prize money and distribute it evenly among the teams. According to the organization they’re the first federation in the world to equalize World Cup prize money.

“This is a truly historic moment,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world.”

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