The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is getting bigger and better as there is a 300% hike in prize money compare to 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It is set to be the biggest edition ever, As the Women’s World Cup Prize Money for this year’s tournament is increased to $152 million.
Even though the $152m Fund for the first 32-teams Women’s World Cup tournament is a huge jump compare to the $30m prize money + $20m on tournament preparation and Club benefits for the 24-teams Women’s World Cup edition of 2019, and 10 times what it was in 2015. But still it is only about one-third of the $440m prize money awarded to the Men’s World Cup tournament held in Qatar last year.
The Precise breakdown of the $152m is :
- $110m in Prize Money
- $30.7m Tournament Preparation Funds
- $11.3m Club Benefits Program
FIFA President Gianni Infantino made the prize money announcement for the 2023 women’s World Cup in his closing remarks at the 73rd FIFA Congress, in Kigali, Rwanda, hailing an “historic journey for women’s football and for equality” that “will lead us to a path to equal pay.”
“For the first time ever, I (plan to) dedicate a specific portion of this payment, which mainly has to go to football development, but a specific portion of that should go of course to the players,” Infantino said, in announcing Step 2 of his three-step plan.
Step 1, Infantino said, “will be equal conditions and services for all men and women playing at a World Cup,”
“This will be a reality already for the Cup in 2023, same conditions as for the World Cup ’22 will be for the players and coaching staff in the Women’s World Cup in ’23.“
“This will be a reality already for the Cup in 2023, the same conditions for the World Cup (in) ’22 will be for the players and coaching staff in the Women’s World Cup in ‘23,” the 52-year-old Gianni Infantino said.
Step 3, he said, “will be the most complicated one” and “would include a dedicated marketing strategy for the women’s game.”
FIFA said it is aiming for parity between the men’s and women’s tournaments by 2027.
Infantino said, “Our mission will be able to have equality in payments for (the) 2026 men’s and 2027 women’s World Cups,”
In a statement, FIFPRO, soccer’s global players’ union, said it celebrates the progress made by FIFA in light of the prize money increase, which it said marks a step towards “greater equity and equality” in the industry.
“The work is not yet done. FIFPRO and 150 players from 25 national teams were clear in a letter sent to FIFA in October; the pathway to full equality remains of paramount importance.”
The letter also demands FIFA to ensure equality in terms of travel conditions, training venues and facilities.
“As a father of four beautiful daughters, I know how much attention we need to give women. Women deserve much, much more than that and we are there to fight for them and with them,” Infantino said during the FIFA Congress where he was re-elected as the President.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the 73rd FIFA Congress, in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 16, 2023 angrily targeted broadcasters, few of them are public service channels funded by taxpayers, saying they offered up to 100 times less compare to Men’s tournament for rights to the women’s tournament.
Infantino first raised the issue in October in New Zealand regarding the prices with women’s soccer drawing audiences:
“Well, offer us 20 per cent less, 50 per cent less. But not 100 per cent less,” Infantino said in closing remarks to the FIFA Congress. “That’s why we can’t do it.”.
2019 Women’s World Cup Prize Money
The Prize money for the last edition was $30m + $20m on tournament preparation and Club benefits for the 24-teams Women’s World Cup edition of 2019, with the tournament winners received $4m.
The complete breakdown of the prize money for the 24-teams Women’s world cup edition of 2019 are as follows :
| Position | Prize Money |
| Winner | $4m |
| Runner-up | $2.6m |
| 3rd place | $2m |
| 4th place | $1.6m |
| 5th-8th place | $1.45m |
| 9th-16th place | $1m |
| 17th-24th place | $750000 |
What is the prize money for the Women’s World Cup?
The prize money for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will increase by 300% to $152 million.