The US Soccer Federation has reached a deal with its men’s and women’s national teams to have total equality on pay and provisions, while also announcing an historic agreement to pool World Cup prize money.
The collective bargaining agreements end a long-standing row on the issue, which was brought to a head in February when the women’s team won a $24m settlement.
Both teams will receive identical economic terms, which US Soccer says “include identical compensation for all competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, and the introduction of the same commercial revenue sharing mechanism for both teams”.
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This means there will be no difference between the quality of venues, travel, accommodation or training facilities.
But the most intriguing announcement is the decision for both senior teams to pool World Cup prize money between them – a significant move, given the men’s version has a significantly bigger pot, and one which is believed to be the first of its kind.
At this year’s tournament in Qatar, £354m is being put up by FIFA in prize money, compared to a planned pool of £48m for the women’s version in 2023.
“This is a truly historic moment. These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” said US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone.
“US Soccer and the USWNT and USMNT players have reset their relationship with these new agreements and are leading us forward to an incredibly exciting new phase of mutual growth and collaboration as we continue our mission to become the pre-eminent sport in the United States.”
Alongside the economic benefits, the agreements will also strive to improve player health and safety, and a desire to “balance responsibilities of both club and country”.
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