June 13, (THEWILL) – Barcelona and Nigeria striker, Asisat Oshoala, has expressed her belief that the financial incentives introduced by FIFA for the Women’s World Cup will inspire players participating in the tournament.
As THEWILL reported, each player is guaranteed a minimum of $30,000, while the entire winning team, consisting of 23 members, will receive $270,000 from the total prize pool of $110 million. Oshoala, a five-time African Player of the Year, highlighted the significance of the funds being directly allocated to players rather than Federations, viewing it as a major step forward.
She expressed her satisfaction with the changing landscape, saying: “It’s really interesting to see such development because it will serve as a motivation to the players.” Oshoala emphasised the impact of these changes on the financial independence of players, no longer reliant solely on their federations for income from World Cup appearances.
The upcoming Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will feature African champions South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, and Zambia. The minimum prize money of $30,000 is more than double the average salary of $14,000 for paid players, according to FIFA’s 2022 benchmarking report. With limited sponsorship and investment in African football, many players depend on earnings from national teams.
Nigeria’s women’s team, the Super Falcons, has faced previous controversies related to unpaid bonuses and allowances. However, Oshoala believes that the new distribution model endorsed by Fifpro can help prevent such issues: “It’s not always a good look to stage protests because all the players want to do is focus on the football.”
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.
