The new agreement comes three months after a group of top women’s team players settled a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer Federation.
The United States Soccer Federation and players representing the men and women national teams have agreed to implement equal pay, paving the way as the first football body to pay equally.
On Wednesday, the teams announced that equal pay was part of a wider collective bargaining agreement.
“No other country has ever done this,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said. “I think everyone should be really proud of what we’ve accomplished here. It really, truly is historic.”
Under the deal, both teams will pool the funds received from FIFA for participating in the World Cup and the money will be shared equally among the members of both teams. Also, men and women players are guaranteed the same paychecks for taking part in international fixtures.
The arrangement will begin with the 2022 men’s tournament at the World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The new agreement comes three months after a group of top women’s team players settled a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer Federation. The landmark deal will put an end to the six-year battle faced by U.S. Soccer.
On Tuesday, the women’s team settled a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. As such, the women will share $24 million in back payments from U.S. Soccer.
“I feel a lot of pride that there are going to be girls who are going to grow up and see what we’ve accomplished and recognize their value instead of having to fight to see it themselves,” said Midge Purce, a negotiator for the women’s players’ association.
The New York Times notes that the teams may collect an average annual payouts of about $450,000 from the U.S. Soccer Federation under the deal that spans through 2028 and the next four World Cups.
