The USWNT is seekings its fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup Championship in France, and the success of the United States women’s national team often comes with a discussion about the player salaries and the gender pay gap. The women received a pay raise in 2017, but there is still an overwhelming disparity between their salaries and that of their male counterparts.
Just how much of a difference is there?
In a recent lawsuit filed by the USWNT against U.S. Soccer, it was disclosed that the women earn just 38 percent of what the male players make.
According to Sporting News, the difference is highlighted by the fact that if each team played and won 20 exhibition games in a single year, “female WNT players would earn a maximum of $99,000 or $4,950 per game, while similarly situated male MNT players would earn an average of $263,320 or $13,166 per game.”
And as far as the Women’s World Cup prize money is concerned, the winning team in the tournament will split $4 million. For the 2018 World Cup in Russia, France earned a whopping $38 million — more than the entire prize pool of the Women’s World Cup — for bringing home the championship.
Of course, there are some outliers when it comes to women’s soccer, with stars like Alex Morgan reportedly earning $1 million in a year. However, a majority of Morgan’s annual salary comes from outside endorsement deals and sponsorships with companies like Nike. Morgan is also the most visible United States women’s soccer player, appearing regularly in magazines like the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Hopefully, if the United States women can bring home a record-setting fourth World Cup Championship after their match with the Netherlands, U.S. Soccer will finally wake up and pay the women like the stars that they actually are and for their accomplishments on the sport’s biggest stage.