Under collective bargaining agreements reportedly signed in 2022, US Soccer receives 20% of the federation’s World Cup prize money. The remaining 80% is expected to be divided among 52 players from the men’s and women’s teams, regardless of which side generated the funds.
The report says the federation earned $16 million from the men’s tournament. That figure makes the arrangement tangible: the men’s result has a direct financial impact on players who were not part of the campaign.
The system also reflects the continuing gap between ’s men’s and women’s prize funds. Equal sharing at national-team level is therefore a negotiated response to an uneven global distribution model.
The arrangement emerged from a six-year equal-pay dispute involving prominent former United States players including Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. The report says the case was settled in 2022 for $24 million, alongside new agreements covering both senior teams.
The first equal split reportedly followed the 2022 men’s and 2023 women’s World Cups. The men earned $13 million after reaching the last 16, while the women received $1.87 million after exiting at the same stage.
The men’s payout is reportedly being held until after the women’s 2027 World Cup, when both teams’ prize money will be combined and distributed. A deep run by the women would therefore benefit the men’s players too.
That reciprocal element will keep the debate alive, with the next tournament offering the clearest test of whether shared rewards can remain a unifying principle.