Infantino breaks own promise: FIFA continues to shortchange women

FIFA plans to double the 2027 Women's World Cup prize pool to $220m, far short of the $655m distributed at the 2026 men's tournament, breaking Infantino's 2023 promise of equal pay.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has failed to deliver on his 2023 commitment to equal prize money for the men's and women's World Cups. The organisation plans to increase the 2027 Women's World Cup prize pool to $220 million, double the $110 million available in 2023, but this remains substantially below the $655 million shared among teams at the 2026 men's tournament.

Infantino stated in 2023 that FIFA's ambition was to achieve equal payments for both tournaments, saying "FIFA comes with deeds, not just words." However, the current proposal falls significantly short. To achieve proportional equality based on the number of participating nations—48 for men, 32 for women—the women's prize pool would need to reach approximately $437 million.

The decision is particularly notable given FIFA's strong financial position. The organisation reported record revenue of $15 billion from this summer's men's World Cup and reserves exceeding $5 billion. Despite this, and expectations that the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil will be profitable for the first time, the gender pay gap in prize money persists.