FIFA Increases Money for the 2019 Women’s World Cup But Gender Inequality Still Reigns
How popular is women’s soccer? Well, it is clearly on the rise. Looking for proof? FIFA is betting on women’s soccer by doubling the prize money for the 2019 Women’s World Cup but the total take is much lower than in the Men’s Cup.
Soccer News: Who watches women’s soccer? The world.
FIFA is raising the total prize money for the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The increase is from $15 million to $30 million.
The $30 million will be divided between the 24 teams taking part at next year’s Women’s World Cup.
The Women’s World Cup is catching up to the Men’s – slowly.
The prize money for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France is double the amount awarded in the 2015 World Cup in Canada, and for the first time ever, just like with the Mens’ World Cup, clubs will now be rewarded for having their players participate in the tournament.
Following the FIFA council meeting in Rwanda, FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino said an additional $20 million will be available for pre-tournament preparations, bringing the total financial investment to $50 million in total allocated across the 24 participating nations.
The break down is as follows:
$11.5 million will be shared by the 24 teams preparing for the tournament and $8.5 million will be split by the soccer clubs releasing players
While it has always been prestigious to win the most important soccer event in the world, now it will be more financially desirable as well.
Still, Inequality Reigns Between Men and Women
The increase for the 2019 Women’s World Cup pales when compared directly to the Men’s World Cup winnings.
Taking even a quick look at the Total prize money for the FIFA Men’s World Cup from 1982 to 2018 shows a vast ocean of inequality.
Here is a comparison; In 1990, the Men’s World Cup total prize money exceeded $50 million dollars. In 2019, the Women’s World Cup total prize money will finally reach $50 million dollars.
That is 29 years later, the women’s prize money almost is the same as the men’s.
U.S. Women’s National team stars Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn, among many others, simply do not think this increase is enough.
Here is a graph of the total prize money from the FIFA World Cup finals between 1982 and 2018.
According to Statista, in the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, the total prize pot stood at $791 million.
While a 50 percent increase of the prize money for the women’s game is great, this is not the first time FIFA has increased the dollars dramatically.
In December 2009, FIFA increased the total take for the 2010 Men’s World Cup 61 percent over the amount awarded in 2006.
Obviously, it is great that the World Cup continues to grow in popularity, and that the women’s game is gaining traction, raising the total prize money.
And, yes, the 2018 Men’s World Cup generates higher revenues for FIFA than does the Women’s World Cup, but the goal of the world’s governing body of soccer is to grow the game without gender discrimination.
The disparity between the sexes is just so vast, it makes one wonder, it the total value of women’s soccer so significantly lower than the men’s game? I think not.
Why is gender equality in soccer so hard to achieve?
Send your thoughts to me at Diane@SoccerToday.com. Thanks.
