US Soccer agrees to equal pay for USWNT|Jamie Smed|CC BY 2.0
US Soccer agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on Wednesday that would provide equal compensation for the men's and women's national teams. The contract also includes a split of the World Cup prize money.
The fight for equal pay
The US Women’s National Team fought with US Soccer to get equal pay and fair treatment. After decades of litigation and public statements, the group agreed to a collective bargaining agreement.
What will the USWNT get?
The USWNT, US Soccer’s most successful team, will now get $7.2 million, seeing a 54% increase from 2018.
The agreement includes a 68% increase in the players’ earnings in World Cup qualifying tournaments.
Following a “pay-for-play” model, the new agreement includes benefits, child care and parental leave in the contracts.
US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone told ESPN that “No other country has ever done this. I think everyone should be really proud of what we’ve accomplished here. It really, truly is historic.”
The journey of USWNT
The USWNT is US Soccer’s most successful and visible team in the country. The team has won four Olympic Gold Medals and consecutive World Cup championships in 2015 and 2019.
