US Soccer equalizes pay in milestone with women, men

The U.S. Soccer Federation has reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally.

That makes the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. The federation has announced separate collective bargaining agreements through 2028 with the unions for both national teams. The move ends years of often acrimonious negotiations. One of the main sticking points was World Cup prize money. The unions agreed to pool FIFA’s payments for the men’s World Cup later this year and next year’s Women’s World Cup.

It will also pool the 2026 and 2027 tournaments.

PHOTO FILE – Former members and members of the U.S. Women’s National soccer team, from left, Briana Scurry, Margaret ‘Midge’ Purce, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Foudy, and Cindy Parlow Cone, President of U.S. Soccer, pose for a photo with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., before an event to celebrate Equal Pay Day and Women’s History Month in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in Washington. The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

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