The U.S. Soccer Federation announced that it had come to an agreement with the women’s national soccer team over disputes about alleged pay gaps between them and the men’s national team.
Axios reports that the women’s team had previously spent the last year demanding equal pay, claiming with no evidence that the men’s team was being paid more than they were. They filed a discrimination lawsuit against the federation for about $24 million, which was ultimately settled in February. At the time, the federation claimed that it would take steps to equalize the pay between both teams.
Announcing the agreement in a press release, the federation stated that they had come to a “first-of-their-kind” collective bargaining agreement with both teams that will last until at least 2028.
“Under these agreements, U.S. Soccer becomes the first Federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded” to both teams, the statement read. The agreement states that the prize money from both men’s and women’s FIFA competitions will be put into one collective pool before being divided evenly between both teams.
In addition, the federation agreed to several benefits for both teams, including childcare for men’s team members during trainings, camps, and matches; this benefit had previously only been provided to the women’s team.
“This is a truly historic moment,” said president of U.S. Soccer Cindy Cone in a statement. “These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world.”