FIFA president Gianni Infantino could not guarantee on Wednesday that member associations will distribute the promised $30,000 payments to each player at the Women’s World Cup.
He told a press conference before the tournament’s opening that he is communicating with member federations on the matter. Payments are made by the national federations, which are expected to pay the players.
But there is no mechanism in place to directly pay players the money, which could be life-changing for some.
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Megan Rapinoe #15 of the United States celebrates with teammate Alex Morgan #13 after scoring the first goal during the women’s international friendly match between the United States and Germany at DRV PNK Stadium on November 10, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
“We are moving, of course, in the right direction, we have been consulting with the associations, with the players, to try to go on the right path,” Infantino said. “We have issued these recommendations, but we have an association of associations. So whatever payments we make, we will go through the associations and then, of course, the associations will make the corresponding payments to their own players. We are in contact with all the associations “.
FIFA had previously confirmed that the 732 players taking part in the World Cup will receive a payment of at least $30,000 each. The paycheck increases if the teams do well, with each player on the winning team earning $270,000.
Infantino said there are complications, such as residency and taxes, that are better handled by the federations.
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Denise OSullivan of the Republic of Ireland calls for a pass during the women’s friendly match between the Republic of Ireland and Colombia at Meakin Park in Brisbane, Australia, ahead of the start of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
The pay is significant for many players: The average annual salary worldwide for women playing professionally is $14,000.
The FIFA deal means that half of the total World Cup prize fund of $110 million will be paid to players from all 32 teams. The prize pool is more than three times the $30 million prize fund FIFA paid out at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
The global players’ union, known as FIFPRO, helped lobby FIFA to allocate a percentage of the prize money to the players themselves. The union sent a letter to FIFA in October on behalf of players from 25 national teams asking for more equal conditions and prize money.
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United States Alex Morgan, right, celebrates with teammate Rose Lavelle scoring their team’s second goal against Haiti during a CONCACAF Women’s Championship soccer match in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, July 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
However, the prize fund is still well short of the $440 million paid to the men who played in the World Cup last year in Qatar. Infantino said the goal is to equalize the prize money for the 2026 men’s World Cup and the 2027 women’s edition.
Infantino said the Women’s World Cup is expected to generate $500 million in revenue and the organization will break even. For the first time, commercial rights to the Women’s World Cup were sold separately from the men’s tournament.
The tournament begins on Thursday with both co-hosts involved. New Zealand will play Norway in Auckland and Australia will face Ireland in Sydney.
