Why Gianni Infantino increased prize money for FIFA Women’s World Cup

During the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Gianni Infantino announced a significant increase in funding for teams and players participating in the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™. The FIFA President stated that a total package of USD 152 million would be on offer at this year’s tournament, which is three times more than the previous Women’s World Cup in France four years ago and over 10 times more than the amount offered at the 2015 tournament in Canada. it is still considerably lower than the $440 million total prize money awarded at the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.

Infantino’s new approach to the distribution of tournament funding replaces basic prize money with USD 110 million allocated to participant member associations. This is a significant increase from USD 30 million in 2019 and USD 15 million in 2015. For the first time ever, a dedicated proportion of this funding will be ringfenced for participating players to ensure that they are adequately compensated for their contribution and work. The balance will be retained by member associations to reinvest in their footballing activities.

The FIFA President’s announcement represents a historic moment for women’s football and equality. The significant increase in funding is a step towards addressing the gender pay gap in football and recognising the vital role that women play in the sport. The announcement also sends a powerful message to the world that FIFA is committed to supporting and promoting women’s football on a global scale.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced plans to achieve pay parity between the men’s and women’s World Cup by the 2026 and 2027 editions respectively. This would involve creating a dedicated marketing strategy for the women’s game, which Infantino identified as the most complicated step towards achieving this goal.

Infantino’s announcement comes after the United States Women’s National Team earned more money from the 2022 men’s World Cup than they did from winning the women’s World Cup in both 2015 and 2019. The USWNT earned $6.5 million from the men’s World Cup compared to $4 million for winning the 2015 women’s World Cup and $3 million for winning the 2019 women’s World Cup.

The increase in funding for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™, announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, includes a doubling of preparation money allocated to participating member associations, which has risen to USD 31 million from USD 12 million when it was first introduced in 2019. The Club Benefits Programme, which was also introduced for the first time in 2019, will increase to USD 11 million from USD 8 million.

In addition to the total investment of USD 152 million in the tournament, FIFA will also be investing additional funds to ensure that the players at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup enjoy equal conditions and services to those at the men’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The level of international and domestic travel, accommodation standards and rooms, team base camps and facilities, and other services extended by FIFA to participating teams will be delivered at the same level as those provided to the men last year, and into the future.

This historic move by FIFA represents a significant step towards gender equality in football. The decision to provide equal conditions and services to women’s teams is a long-overdue recognition of the importance of women’s football and the need to address the disparities in the sport. It sends a clear message that FIFA is committed to promoting and investing in women’s football, and is taking concrete steps to support and empower women in the sport.