Nigeria's Super Falcons are set to receive a substantial financial boost of N13.8 million ($30,000) each for their participation in this year's FIFA Women's World Cup. In a departure from previous practice, FIFA has decided to distribute the money directly to the players themselves instead of channeling it through the national federations.
Under the new arrangement, all 23 members of the victorious team will be rewarded with $270,000 each, which is part of a total prize pool of $110 million. This amount represents a significant increase of approximately 300 percent compared to what FIFA offered in the previous tournament held in 2019.
Notably, the minimum prize money set by FIFA stands at $30,000, which is more than double the average salary of $14,000 reported in FIFA's 2022 benchmarking report for paid players.
This decision aligns with the commitment made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the FIFA Congress in March, where he pledged to direct the prize money towards the players—an unprecedented move for the women's tournament. The FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to commence on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
In addition to the individual player rewards, member-associations will also receive increased funding based on their performance in the upcoming tournament.
The winning team will take home $4.29 million, while participating delegations in the group stage will earn $1.56 million. However, it is important to note that the performance-based prize funds for the Women's World Cup still fall significantly short of those offered in the men's tournament last year, which had a total prize fund of $440 million.
FIFA has explicitly stated that it expects national federations to reinvest the funds retained by them in football-related activities, such as coaching staff, grassroots projects, youth national teams, and programs to enhance women's football.
FIFPRO, the global soccer players union, has hailed this development as a significant achievement resulting from collaborative efforts by 150 national team players and constructive negotiations with FIFA over the past few months. The union believes that this decision represents a positive step towards achieving greater gender equality in the sport at its highest levels.
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