For the first time in its history, FIFA will pay bonuses directly to players at the next Women’s World Cup.
A small revolution for the discipline and its actors. FIFA announced in June that part of the World Cup prize pool would be paid directly to players who will play the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, from July 20 to August 20, in the form of individual bonuses. A novelty that sheds light on the difficult conditions of development of women’s football.
Concretely, each of the 736 players involved will receive at least 30,000 euros, the sum allocated for the workforce of the teams which will not pass the group stage. The amounts then increase, up to 270,000 euros for the captain who will lift the trophy after the final, and her 22 teammates (60,000 in eighths, 90,000 in quarters, 165,000 for fourths, 180,000 for thirds , 195,000 for the finalists).
A historic fight for financial equality
The initiative echoes the debates and controversies on the issue of bonuses that have rocked all major international tournaments in recent years. “Before, it was the federation that decided the amount of the bonuses”, recalls Luc Arrondel, an economist specializing in sport. Each federation involved in a major competition received a certain sum depending on the performance of the team, which it was free to distribute as it saw fit. “There were differences between the federations, negotiations were made on a case-by-case basis between the authorities and the players.” In France, for example, the FFF decided to donate 30% of the global allocation it received at the end of major tournaments to its players.
Some female selections had made these negotiations a real fight, like the Americans, who went to court and a lawsuit for sexist discrimination against their federation. In 2022, US Soccer and the players announced an agreement for a new collective agreement guaranteeing equal pay. A year later, the initiative of Fifa was particularly welcomed by the American Alex Morgan at a press conference. “Fifa has done a very good job of increasing the bonuses”reacted the attacker of San Diego. “We still have a long way to go, but the fact that the players are paid directly is huge.”
Because individual bonuses will be a financial game-changer for many players. According to a report by Fifpro, the world union of footballers and footballers, on the conditions for qualifying for the World Cup, 66% of participants had to take unpaid leave in order to play. 29% of players did not receive any remuneration or compensation after wearing the national jersey. “Whatever the amounts available, players have no guarantee of getting a share of what they build on the pitch – a share that would allow them to fund their careers and their lives.”had regretted the union in a letter on behalf of the players in October 2022.
Twice the global average salary
With this change, players are guaranteed to receive compensation commensurate with their performance, or even compensation at all. “This will lead to a virtuous circle”welcomes Richard Duhautois, economist specializing in sport. “It’s to ensure that the players receive a certain amount, controlled, higher than what many of them receive in their leagues around the world.”
According to Fifa, the average salary of professional female players in the world amounts to 14,000 dollars (12,825 euros), i.e. two times less than the minimum amount to be paid. A player eliminated in the round of 16 will pocket more than the average annual salary in D1 Arkéma, namely 44,000 euros according to Luc Arrondel. “For the winners, 270,000 euros, that roughly corresponds to the annual salary of an executive like Amandine Henry in Lyon, for example”also assesses the economist.
Could this new model be generalized to all competitions, men and women alike? Technically, yes, believes Luc Arrondel, since “Fifa regains control of the bonuses, nothing prevents it from doing so for men’s tournaments as well.” But the economic realities are not similar. “International players are for many players who evolve in the biggest clubs, with long careers, it is not the same logic and the same needs”, Judge Richard Duhautois. In 2018, the French world champions had also donated their entire bonus to associations.