FIFA set to double Women's World Cup prize money but fall short of equal pay pledge

FIFA targets $220m prize pool for 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, double 2023's amount but only a third of the men's $655m, falling short of Infantino's equal pay pledge.

FIFA is set to double the prize fund for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil to approximately $220m, up from $110m in 2023. However, the increase falls significantly short of equal pay commitments made by FIFA president Gianni Infantino three years ago.

Infantino had stated ahead of the 2023 tournament that "our ambition would be to have equality in payments for the 2026 men's and 2027 Women's World Cup." The men's tournament this summer generated $655m in prize money from a record $15bn in revenue. With 32 teams competing in Brazil compared to 48 at the men's event, a fund worth two-thirds of the men's total would have achieved parity on a per-team basis—roughly $437m. The $220m target falls well below that threshold.

FIFA has approved other measures for 2027, including $2.5m in preparation money for every qualified nation (matching the men's allocation) and equal service levels such as business class flights and individual hotel rooms for all players. The final decision on prize money is expected when the FIFA Council meets in December.