Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino reported that the 2019 Women’s World Cup broke even, but rejected calls for equal prize money between men and women. This news has sparked a debate about whether or not women should receive the same amount of prize money as men for competing in the World Cup.
Infantino’s report stated that the Women’s World Cup generated $131 million in revenue and was able to cover all of its expenses. This is a significant increase from the 2015 Women’s World Cup, which only generated $73 million in revenue. Despite this success, Infantino rejected calls for equal prize money between men and women. He argued that the Women’s World Cup does not generate as much revenue as the Men’s World Cup and therefore cannot afford to pay out equal prize money.
The decision to reject calls for equal prize money has been met with criticism from many in the sports world. Many argue that women should be paid the same amount as men for competing in the World Cup, regardless of the revenue generated. They point out that women have to put in just as much effort and dedication to compete in the tournament and should be rewarded equally.
Others argue that equal prize money is not feasible at this time due to the lower revenue generated by the Women’s World Cup. They point out that FIFA needs to invest more in women’s soccer in order to increase revenue and make equal prize money a reality.
The debate over equal prize money for the Women’s World Cup is likely to continue for some time. It is clear that there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue, and it will be interesting to see how FIFA responds in the future. Regardless of the outcome, it is encouraging to see that the Women’s World Cup was able to break even and that FIFA is taking steps to invest more in women’s soccer.
