After crashing out of the World Cup following a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Belgium this week, USA players are now facing the prospect of handing over half of their tournament earnings. Mauricio Pochettino's side had hoped to make a deep run this summer but came unstuck at the first serious hurdle they faced.
In the immediate aftermath, Christian Pulisic - dubbed 'Captain America' - has been among those to face the fiercest criticism for his underwhelming displays throughout the co-hosted tournament. While many supporters are still struggling to come to terms with the manner of the Stars and Stripes' exit, US legend Landon Donovan has offered an explanation for why the country continues to lag behind some of its rivals in the sport.
The real kick in the teeth for the players who helped spark football fever across the United States during the early stages of the tournament, however, is that they will ultimately see only half of their earnings. This comes despite the USA ranking as the ninth-highest earners at this year's World Cup.
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Why USA Players Must Give Up 60% of their World Cup Earnings
USA Players vs BelgiumREUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
USA's World Cup stars earned $16 million in prize money for reaching the last 16 but must split it equally with the women's team. The figure will be split between the 26 men on the World Cup roster and the 26 women who are selected to play in next year's Women's World Cup, if they qualify under Emma Hayes' stewardship.
As per Daily Mail, the men's and women's teams share World Cup prize money equally under terms of the collective bargaining agreement that was signed back in 2022. The deal was signed off after almost six years of campaigning and legal action by the women's team, spearheaded by Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, in an effort to secure equal pay.
The U.S. Soccer governing body, which pays men's and women's players $10,000 per World Cup match, will also keep 20 per cent of the prize money from this year's tournament. The remaining 80 per cent will then be divided between the men's and women's players who make their respective World Cup rosters.
On this occasion, that 40 per cent equates to $6.4m per team or $246,153.85 per player. That same division of prize funds will come into place again for any prize money the women's team picks up at the 2027 Women's World Cup.
USWNT Remain USA's Gold Standard in Football
Alex Morgan USWNT
Although football has reached new heights in popularity in the USA this summer, it is still the women's national team that wears the crown stateside. With four World Cup triumphs - more than any other nation in women's football - the USWNT have long been the standard-bearers for the sport. Special mentions must go to Rapinoe and Morgan, but other household names from the team's golden era include Carli Lloyd, Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.
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Their success has not quite hit the same heights in recent years, which has inevitably seen some of the spotlight drift elsewhere. Even so, under Hayes - a seven-time WSL winner with Chelsea - there is a growing belief that the USWNT can turn back the clock and return to their former glory. If anyone can get them back to the top table of world football, their current boss appears well placed to do so.
When the USWNT were knocked out in the last 16 of the 2023 World Cup, they received just $1.87million in prize money from FIFA. The figures for next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil have yet to be announced, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has made no secret of his ambition to level the playing field, declaring that he wants men's and women's World Cup prize money to be equal by the 2027 edition.