For the past several years, equal pay has been a rallying cry for U.S. women’s national team players as well as their fans. Through many lawsuits and public statements, the USWNT has fought for equal compensation for its male counterparts. The USMNT joined them and supported them by proposing to negotiate together in an effort to achieve equality across the board. Today that goal has been met.
This morning, U.S. The Soccer Federation and the Players’ Association of USMNT and USMNT have announced that they have agreed to a historic joint bargaining agreement that provides equal pay for both senior national team players.
The two joint bargaining agreements run until 2028, which will include the 2022 and 2026 World Cups for men and the 2023 and 2027 World Cups for women. The economic terms include the two teams having equal compensation for playing in all competitions, including the World Cup, and they ensure that the players are among the highest paid in the world. US Soccer became the first federation to distribute World Cup prize money equally among the men’s and women’s national teams.
Combined bargaining agreements focus on four areas: equalizing World Cup prize money, uniform attendance fees and game bonuses, sharing the same playing surface and training facilities, and sharing a ticket structure. USWNT and USMNT will pay the same attendance fee and game bonus. Players who are not on the game roster will receive an attendance fee for participating in the camp. They will also receive similar bonuses for performance in the tournament. For the World Cup, they will pool and share prize money from the 2022 Men’s World Cup and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with equal percentages paid. They will do it again for the 2026 Men’s World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The two parties will share 50/50 of their broadcasting, partner and sponsorship revenue. This will include ticket sales for U.S. soccer-controlled home matches and bonuses for matches sold. Teams will receive equal benefits, including childcare, leisure packages, match venues and play surfaces, charter flights and hotel accommodations, as well as training camps and improved notification of match schedules.
USWNT captain Becky Sourbrun said in a statement: “These CBA achievements are a testament to the incredible efforts of WNT players on and off the field. “The gains we’ve made are because of the generation of WNT players who have come to the forefront of the current team and because of the strong collaboration between the USNSTPA [USMNT’s Players Association] and our union’s recent collaboration with leadership in the United States.” Its historic achievements will not only provide equal pay, but also train national team players and improve the playing environment, as well as serve as the basis for the continued growth of women’s football, both in the United States and abroad. ”
“They said equal pay for men and women is not possible, but it did not stop us and we went ahead and achieved it,” said USMNT defender Walker Zimmerman. “We hope this will make others aware of the need for such a change and inspire others in FIFA and around the world to move in the same direction.”
It is a memorandum of understanding for all parties, and will pave the way for equal compensation for women in sports around the world.