US Women’s Soccer Gets Coveted Equal Pay Deal

The US Women’s National Soccer Team has been on a crusade for equal pay for quite some time. Megan Rapinoe has been at the forefront of those efforts. Today, it finally paid off, as US Soccer announced the pay structure for the upcoming World Cup.

The organization will split earnings for both the men’s and women’s teams equally among the players. The move has been a long time coming. In addition to the World Cup payouts, national team members will receive equal appearance and game bonuses as well as any other commercial revenue, according to ESPN.

US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone penned a letter stating the historic deal was a major challenge. Cone said that the women’s team has served as an inspiration for change around the world. It was finally time to do the right thing for the players that built such a powerhouse program.

“This is a truly historic moment. In becoming the first federation in the world to solve the massive and vexing challenge of equalizing FIFA World Cup prize money, U.S. Soccer and our players have changed the game forever here at home, with the hopes of inspiring change around the world.”

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When the US Women’s National Team won the World Cup in 2019, they chanted for equal pay after the game. Shortly after, they filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation. They accused the organization of “institutionalized gender discrimination.”

The lawsuit ended in a $24 million settlement which was contingent on an equal pay deal being hashed out. That deal is finally here. This is a huge landmark for women’s sports in the United States, and it has taken years of hard work to finally get here.

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