U.S. Soccer Announces Historic Deal To Pay Men’s and Women’s Teams Equally

After years of fighting, the U.S. Soccer Federation has finally reached a historic bargaining deal with the Women’s and Men’s National team unions that will see both leagues paid equally for their work. Under two new collective bargaining agreements, which run through 2028, the two teams will earn equal amounts for friendly games, official competitions (including the World Cup), and other appearances.

This is a huge deal because until now, the teams had been operating under wildly different pay structures resulting in lower pay for the women even though they consistently generate more revenue and win more games than their male counterparts. (And that’s despite the fact that USSF literally argued in court that they deserve less pay because they’re physically inferior to the men.) If they had been getting paid according to the men’s pay and bonus structures, the women’s team would have been making considerably more.

The agreements, which run through 2028, contain:

➖ Equalization of FIFA World Cup prize money
➖ Identical appearance fees and game bonuses
➖ Commercial revenue sharing for the first time ever

CBA Fact Sheet » https://t.co/At6VSKzjiN pic.twitter.com/ugr7zxEu6k

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) May 18, 2022

Additionally, the prize money for the teams’ respective World Cups will be pooled and equalized between them, with an equal amount going to each based on their participation and performance.

The CBAs will have a huge impact for players off the field as well. They include provisions for child care and retirement for the senior national teams, and stipulate that equal resources go to the teams’ training facilities, accommodations, venues, and more. There’s also a new revenue-sharing framework that will see both teams an equal percentage of broadcast, partner and sponsorship funds, as well as ticket sales.

👏Congrats to everyone at @ussoccer, @USWNT, and @USMNT for their historic CBA👏 https://t.co/OYD6WOIdZ6

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 18, 2022

This is, as we mentioned, a huge deal, and it is also well deserved. Not only has the USWNT proven that they deserve to be paid as much as the men through their incredible performances on the field, but they’ve worked hard to make this happen, putting themselves through years of exhausting and disappointing negotiations and legal proceedings while also skyrocketing in popularity among fans and the general public.

(image: Francois Nel/Getty Images)