June 08, (THEWILL) – FIFA has announced a groundbreaking decision to allocate a portion of the Women’s World Cup prize money directly to the players, guaranteeing a minimum of $30,000 for each Super Falcons player.
This move marks a significant shift in the distribution of funds, as the money will now go to individuals rather than national federations. The winning team’s 23 members will receive an impressive $270,000 each, contributing to a total prize pool of $110 million, which is approximately 300% higher than the amount offered in the 2019 tournament.
This change aims to address the pay disparity in women’s football and provide greater financial support to the athletes. The directed prize money of $30,000 represents more than twice the average salary of $14,000 for paid players, as reported in FIFA’s 2022 benchmarking study.
In a historic announcement during the FIFA Congress in March, President Gianni Infantino pledged to prioritise the players by channelling prize money directly to them, a first for the Women’s World Cup.
The tournament is set to commence on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, and this change reflects FIFA’s commitment to enhancing women’s football and promoting gender equity within the sport.
In addition to the individual prize money, member associations participating in the Women’s World Cup will also receive increased funding based on their performance. The winning team stands to take home $4.29 million while participating delegations in the group stage will earn $1.56 million.
However, it is worth noting that the overall performance-based prize funds for this tournament still fall significantly short of the men’s World Cup in 2023, which awarded a total of $440 million.
FIFA has emphasised that national federations are expected to reinvest the funds retained in various footballing activities, including coaching staff, grassroots projects, youth national teams, and women’s football development programmes.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
