Every one of the 732 players (23 per team) that will be in the final squad at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, will earn a guaranteed 572-thousand rand each.
According to Sky Sports, this is in line with the promise made by FIFA in March to help improve the women’s game by financially rewarding players better.
Each player from the 16 teams who will not advance from the group stages is guaranteed the following:
PRIZE MONEY FOR EACH PLAYER IN DIFFERENT STAGES:
- Group stage: $30k (R572,000)
- Round of 16: $60k (R1.14 million)
- Quarter Final: $90k (R1.71 million)
- 4th place: $165k (R3.14 million)
- 3rd place: $180k (R3.43 million)
- 2nd place: $195k (R3.71 million)
- Winners: $270k (R5.14 million)
The Football Associations/Federations have not been left behind, and will pocket $1,560-thousand (30-million-rand), excluding the bonuses of players.
PRIZE MONEY FOR FEDERATIONS/ASSOCATIONS IN DIFFERENT STAGES:
- Group stage: $1,560,000 (R30 million)
- Round of 16: $1,870,000 (R35.6 million)
- Quarterfinal: $2,180,000 (R41.5 million)
- Fourth place: $2,455,000 (R46.8 million)
- Third place: $2,610,000 (R50 million)
- Second place: $3,015,000 (R57.4 million)
- Winners: $4,290,000 (R81.7 million)
All the clubs that provide players will also benefit, as FIFA has set aside daily rate payments from an overall fund of 218-million for releasing the players to national-team duty.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced at the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali earlier this year that efforts were being made to bring to pay parity for both men and women in World Cup tournaments.
He announced that the pot will be $152m (just under R2,8b), up from $50m (R918m) since the last tournament four years ago.
The prize money still pales in significance when compared to the 2022 men’s World Cup, which stands at $440m (just over R8b).
There are plans in place to equal the prize money by the 2027 Women’s World Cup, to match the 2026 men’s World Cup.
This will be Banyana Banyana’s second consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup, following their maiden appearance in France in 2019.
South Africa’s head coach Desiree Ellis recently announced her preliminary squad of 36 players, which will be trimmed down to 23 shortly before the start of the tournament.
The team goes into a training camp on Monday (12 June 2023) as they finalise their preparations for Australia and New Zealand.
The African Champions are expected to depart early next month and will face World Cup-bound Costa Rica in a friendly match on 15 July in Christchurch, New Zealand.
By Matlhomola Morake
