U.S. Soccer set a new “global standard,” for compensation in the sport Wednesday with the announcement of collective bargaining agreements setting equal pay for women’s and men’s teams.
“The two CBAs, which run through 2028, achieve equal pay through identical economic terms,” said the announcement from the Chicago-based United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the United States Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA).
“This is a truly historic moment. These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “U.S. Soccer and the USWNT and USMNT players have reset their relationship with these new agreements and are leading us forward to an incredibly exciting new phase of mutual growth and collaboration as we continue our mission to become the preeminent sport in the United States.”
According to the announcement, U.S. Soccer is “the first Federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded to the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) for participation in their respective World Cups.”
A 2019 lawsuit filed on behalf of the U.S. Women’s National team said previously “the pay for advancement through the rounds of the World Cup was so skewed that, in 2014, the USSF provided the [men’s team] with performance bonuses totaling $5,375,000 for losing in the Round of 16, while, in 2015, the USSF provided the [women’s team] with only $1,725,000 for winning the entire tournament.”
During the three years following the U.S. women’s soccer team 2015 World Cup win, U.S. women’s games generated more total revenue than U.S. men’s games, according to audited financial reports from the U.S. Soccer Federation obtained by the Wall Street Journal. Per the lawsuit, the USSF budgeted a combined net loss for the national teams of $429,929 in 2016, but the women’s team was so successful that the USSF revised projections to reflect a $17 million profit.
“The net profit for the WNT outstripped net profit for the MNT because the female players on the WNT were more successful in competition than the male players on the MNT – while being paid substantially less,” said the suit.
As of 2019, a comparison of the USWNT and USMNT pay showed that if each team played 20 “friendlies” games in a year and each team won all 20, women’s team players would earn a maximum of $4,950 per game. On the other hand, men’s team players could earn an average of $13,166 per game.
“First of all it’s just the right thing to do,” said USWNT star Megan Rapinoe said of the lawsuit during a March 2021 hearing held by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. “Yes we’re fighting for ourselves…but we’re with everyone. We’re with so many women across the country.”
A case settlement for $24 million in backpay damages to the WNT and a guarantee of equal pay going forward for all games was reached in February.
“The ratification of the CBAs is a necessary and critical step to resolution,” said the Wednesday announcement. “We now await the final approval of the settlement by the class members and the Court.”
In the new agreements, economic terms of the include identical compensation for all competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, and the introduction of the same commercial revenue sharing mechanism for both teams. Non-economic terms such as player health and safety, data privacy and more are included.
“The agreements will ensure that U.S. Soccer’s Senior National Team players remain among the highest paid in the world,” said the announcement. WNT players will not have a guaranteed salary.
In what U.S. Soccer called “a first-of-its-kind agreement,” it has “agreed with both the USWNTPA and the USNSTPA to pool and share a portion of prize money paid for the teams’ participation” in World Cup games through 2027.
Other features of the new agreements include: a 50/50 split share of U.S. Soccer broadcast, partner and sponsorship revenue; shares of ticket sale revenue to be split between the WNT and the MNT, as well as a bonus for sellout games; childcare, retirement and other benefits.
U.S. Soccer will provide also equal quality and resources for: venues and field surfaces, accommodation, national team staffing, travel, safe work environments and scheduling.
“They said equal pay for men and women was not possible, but that did not stop us and we went ahead and achieved it,” said Walker Zimmerman, member of USNSTPA leadership group. “We hope this will awaken others to the need for this type of change, and will inspire FIFA and others around the world to move in the same direction.”
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