USWNT to Share Equal World Cup Prize Money with USMNT

The U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) will not participate in the World Cup until next summer in Brazil. Nonetheless, players will benefit financially from the men’s team’s recent performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf, the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) earned $16 million in FIFA prize money by reaching the Round of 16 in the tournament.

Kassouf reported that this prize money will be divided equally among the 26 men on the U.S. roster and the 26 women expected to compete in next year’s U.S. roster for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, provided that they qualify. This equal sharing of prize money is part of the collective bargaining agreements that U.S. Soccer established with both national teams in 2022. These agreements followed nearly six years of the women’s national team advocating for equal pay.

Kassouf predicted that the USWNT players will receive $6.4 million in total, distributed among 26 players next year, assuming they qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

While the monetary aspect is significant, the USMNT faces a challenge in achieving the same level of on-field success as the USWNT at the World Cup. On July 6, the USMNT suffered a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, resulting in another Round-of-16 exit. The USMNT has not advanced to the quarterfinals since 2002. Their best performance remains a semifinal placement during the inaugural 1930 World Cup.

This year’s World Cup was the first hosted on U.S. soil since 1994, offering a chance for the USMNT to overcome their Round-of-16 struggles. However, they will have to wait another four years for this opportunity.

Looking ahead, assuming they qualify, the USWNT aims to secure their fifth World Cup title next summer. They seek to improve on their subpar 2023 World Cup effort, where they lost to Sweden in the Round of 16. The USWNT’s previous victories include the 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019 World Cups. The reigning champion is Spain.