SI reported that FIFA is planning to increase the 2027 Women’s World Cup performance-based prize money to $220 million. For U.S. national team players, World Cup prize money would still be shared between the women’s and men’s teams under U.S. Soccer agreements reached in 2022.
Planned 2027 prize fund
Sky Sports News reportedly said FIFA is planning to increase the performance-based prize money for the 2027 Women’s World Cup to $220 million for the 32 teams competing in Brazil, pending approval by the FIFA Council in December. SI said the planned $220 million prize pot would double the $110 million paid at the 2023 Australia and New Zealand tournament and would be over seven times the $30 million divided up in France in 2019.
Infantino on equality objective
Gianni Infantino said before the tournament kicked off: "Our ambition would, of course, to be able to have equality in payments for the 2026 men's and 2027 Women’s World Cup. This is the objective we set to ourselves. FIFA is stepping up with actions not just with words ... but unfortunately this is not the case with everyone across the industry. Broadcasters and sponsors, dear friends, have to do more in this respect."
SI said the 2026 men’s tournament had a performance-based prize pot of $655 million to be distributed among the 48 competing nations.
U.S. Soccer pooling agreement
According to SI, the U.S. Soccer Federation agreed to collective bargaining agreements with the men’s and women’s national teams in 2022 that equalized compensation, and those agreements run through 2028. SI said the agreements include dollars from the 2026 men’s tournament and the 2027 women’s tournament, with the players’ unions agreeing to pool World Cup prize money from those two events.
According to SI, 20% of that money goes to the federation and the other 80% is split equally among 52 players: 26 men and 26 women. SI said the same prize-sharing practice will apply for the 2027 women’s tournament, with the USWNT players sharing their prize money with the USMNT players.
2026 U.S. men’s payout
SI said the U.S. men’s national team earned $16 million in performance-based prize money from FIFA for advancing to the round of 16 in 2026. According to SI, that $16 million resulted in $12.8 million for the 52 players and $3.2 million for the federation.
SI said each of the 26 players rostered to the USMNT this summer and the 26 rostered to the USWNT next summer walked away with around $246,153, excluding any added payments they may have received from the $12.5 million FIFA initially gave each nation in guaranteed compensation.
