FIFPro proposes for equal conditions and prize money at the men's and women's World Cups
The GIST: FIFPro wants equal pay for equal work. According to a report yesterday, the global soccer players’ union sent a letter to FIFA in October with three proposals for equal conditions and prize money at the men’s and women’s World Cups (WCs), months before the women’s tourney kicks off in July.
The details: The union proposed that FIFA set an equal framework of regulations and conditions for both WCs — including travel, facilities and delegation size — and pay out equal prize money for the competitions. FIFPro also wants a guarantee that players receive at least 30% of Women’s WC prize money from national federations.
- Members of 25 women’s national teams signed the letter, including the USWNT and fellow WC winners Germany, Norway and Japan. The letter’s demands, however, do not involve a timeline or threaten a boycott.
The context: FIFA plans to dole out at least $60M in winnings for this summer’s competition but has a gaping hole to fill after offering a $440M prize purse at the 2022 men’s WC. The governing body doesn’t spend equally on the tourneys, either — it has allotted $435M for the Women’s WC, less than a quarter of its budget for the men’s.
- As CanWNT can unfortunately attest to, national federations rarely meet the mark on equal funding or pay, and some aren’t even required to distribute WC prize money to their players. Pay them what you owe them.
The trend: A year after the USWNT won equal pay, their international colleagues are working to achieve the same. CanWNT is locked in a labor dispute with Canada Soccer, while players from Spain to Japan are using the momentum to advocate for themselves and women’s soccer as a whole.
- Equality isn’t just the right thing to do — it also translates to serious business wins. The U.S. Soccer Federation is reaping the rewards of equal pay with renewed partnerships, and tennis’ Grand Slam equality model is so successful that the sport’s power players might broker a formal WTA and ATP collab.
Zooming out: The fight for equality will likely take center stage at this summer’s Women’s WC, just as it did in 2019, meaning there’s already a playbook for brands interested in joining the conversation. For example, Luna Bar made up the pay gap for the USWNT after they received $4M for winning the tournament. Take notes.
