Football Ferns to get $50,000 each for playing World Cup

Each of the Football Ferns will be paid $50,000 for playing at the World Cup – more if they advance to the knockout phase.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Each player at next month’s Football World Cup will be guaranteed at least $50,000 after a ground-breaking move by FIFA to disburse prize money to individuals rather than national federations.

All 23 members of the winning team will take home $450,000 each, part of a $182 million total prize pool that is three times more than what FIFA offered for the 2019 tournament.

The $50,000 minimum is more than twice the $23,000 global average salary professional female players currenty receive.

In March, FIFA President Gianni Infantino pledged that organisers would direct prize money toward the players, a first for the women’s tournament, which kicks off in Auckland on July 20th.

New Zealand play Norway in the opening match of the World Cup in Auckland on July 20th.
Photo: Supplied: FIFA

For the upcoming Women’s World Cup, member associations will also receive increased funding based on performance, with winners taking over $7 million home and delegations earning $2.6 million for participating in the group stage.

The total performance-based prize funds still significantly trail what was the on the offer at the men’s tournament last year, where $730 million total prize fund was awarded.

FIFA has made it clear to national federations that it expects that the amount retained by member associations will be reinvested in their footballing activities, including coaching staff, grassroots projects, youth national teams and women’s football capacity-building programmes.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Photo: AFP

FIFPRO said the news represented “not only the outcome of tremendous global collective action by 150 national team players… but a constructive negotiation with FIFA over the past months.”

“The have listened to the voice of the players and we have taken steps toward greater gender equity in our game at the highest levels,” the global soccer players union said in a statement.

-Reuters