Equal pay for soccer players in the United States

Unionists from the national teams and the US Soccer Federation agreed on a historic collective agreement.

Future female football players of the US national team will receive the same wages and salaries as their male colleagues. The NFL and the women’s and men’s national team associations have agreed on historically unique team agreements that guarantee players the same pay, including bonuses and award money distribution, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Accordingly, contracts in effect until 2028 ensure that the women’s national team, which is more successful than the men’s team, will receive the same bonuses paid for major events such as the World Championships and generally the same salaries as the men’s team. The association also distributes a portion of its income from broadcasting, ticket sales and sponsorship equally to both teams.

According to the association, the United States is the first country to offer equal pay for World Cup rewards. In 2019, the Australian men’s and women’s teams agreed on the same pay and work structures, but not the same World Cup bonus payments.

“This is a truly historic moment. These agreements forever changed the sport here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” said federation president Cindy Barlow Kohn.

Successful negotiations ended a legal dispute that American football players started in March 2019. The US women’s national team won four Olympic gold medals and four world titles, while the men still awaited great success at a major tournament.

(APA / dpa / Reuters)