Men's World Cup Success Pays Off for Women's Team

Under the terms of a new agreement on dividing World Cup revenue, the US women's team is having a profitable tournament in Qatar. The US men have reached the round of 16 there, after beating Iran 1-0 on Tuesday. The way FIFA outlines the payouts, teams that finish in the 9th through 16th spots will each receive $13 million, CBS Sports reports. Of that, 10% is turned over to the US Soccer Federation, and 90% is evenly split between the men's and women's national teams. That will mean a bigger payday for the women's team than it had when it won its two most recent World Cup titles.

The women's team collected $4 million when it won in 2019 and $2 million for its 2015 championship. If the US men beat the Netherlands on Saturday, both US teams will be in line for $7.65 million each. The men's and women's organizations agreed to equal pay with the US Soccer Federation in May, after the women's team had sued US Soccer over unequal pay and working conditions compared to that for the men's team. If the men's team keeps winning in Qatar, the pot will grow. The World Cup winner this year will receive $42 million, per CNN. "These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world," US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in May. (More 2022 World Cup stories.)