Led by star player Megan Rapinoe, the US women’s soccer team has won their fight for equality. The Soccer Association of the United States and the unions of the women’s and men’s national teams agreed on a historic collective agreement that guarantees all players the same pay including bonuses, the US Soccer Association announced on Wednesday.
According to this, the contracts running until 2028 ensure that the women’s national team, which is many times more successful than the men, receives the same bonus payments at major tournaments such as world championships and generally the same salaries as the men’s team. The association also distributes part of its income from broadcasts, ticket sales and sponsorship equally to both teams.
According to the association, the USA is the first country to introduce equal payment for World Cup bonuses. In 2019, the Australian men’s and women’s teams agreed on the same wage and work structures, but not on the same World Cup bonus payments.
“It’s historic and I think it will trigger a lot of other things in sport, not just in the USA but worldwide,” said international striker Margaret Purce, who also spoke out in favor of equal World Cup bonus payments from the world governing body FIFA.
After years of litigation, the soccer players and the US association agreed on equal pay in February. After that, the agreement still had to be signed and approved by a court. For the settlement, the players agreed to waive all outstanding claims with the association in the gender discrimination lawsuit filed in 2019.