The money behind the Women’s World Cup
26 July 2023
How much will the winning team receive?
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is here. 64 matches, 32 nations, and 736 athletes are taking their shot at lifting the trophy on August 20.
A festival of football has descended across Australia and New Zealand, record crowds for all games are filling stadiums to the brim, as hundreds of thousands of fans fly from all corners of the globe with the dream of seeing their nation lift the cup.
It’s the largest women’s sporting event in the world, and what comes along with major global events? An economic punch to match.
So, we decided to crunch the numbers and see how the tournament will impact the key stakeholders.
For the players
After a long road of campaigning, FIFA announced before the tournament each individual player, (yes, all 736 athletes) will receive a minimum payment of US$30,000. As you’d expect, the number increases the deeper teams go into the tournament, make it into the round of 16? Then you’ll see a jump of US$20,000. Lift the trophy at the end? You’ll pocket US$270,000.
It’s a massive increase from the 2019 tournament, where the total prize pool was capped at US$30 million compared to the US$150 million available this year, and an improvement on the average player salary of $21,000.
However, with US$440 million in prize money on offer at the Men’s World Cup in Qatar last year and a reported US$4 billion in reserve at FIFA, there’s still room and resources to grow.
For the federations
There’s a slice of the prize money pie for the federations too. If you’re in the bottom 16 bowing out at the group stage, you’ll receive US$1.5million, if you win the whole thing, US$4.3 million will drop into your bank account.
Again, it’s well over the money handed out at the 2019 tournament considering the entire prize fund reached US$30 million.
These funds are vital for federations as the women’s game continues to rise around the globe, and the women’s national teams need significant investment to match.
It’s up to the federations to create and implement grassroots strategies, support their women’s team and provide pathways for all in the sport. The funds they receive from the tournament will be directly invested in growing the women’s game.
For the host nations
It’s no secret that the World Cup draws a crowd, and with record attendances across all the games so far, both host nations would be pretty happy with the money that’s about to come rolling in.
With the pent-up demand for travel and the sporting event itself, the tournament has been estimated to generate as much as $460 million and $60 million for Australia and New Zealand respectively. Considering as well, the tournament takes place in the depths of winter, this off-season boost is a welcome addition to the economies of both nations.
For the sport
The time is now for women’s football. We’ve seen record breaking attendances across the opening games and levels of viewership have increased globally, however the corporate investment has been slow.
There’s plenty of research to show the positive impacts brands experience when they invest in women’s sport, including those who invest in women’s sport see an average return of $7 for every dollar they put in.
Need more? It’s been shown those who regularly sponsor the women’s game gain a more positive customer sentiment, with consumers more likely to purchase from them and support their brand.
With women’s sport well and truly in the spotlight over the next month, it’ll only improve the valuation of players and teams, boosting the money funnelling into the sport via partnerships, sponsorships and attendance.
So, how can a governing body like the FA or a WSL club manage the increase in funds and complexity?
Our solution is trusted to help manage and sell billions of dollars’ worth of partnership and sponsorship deals by the biggest teams and venues in the world, engage fans like never before, and make ticketing a breeze.
If you want to explore what that looks like with us, get in touch here.
And finally, while we’ve got you, we are hosting a 5-part World Cup podcast special, interviewing some of the biggest movers and shakers across the tournament with the first episode is now live, with plenty more to come.
Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts below to join in on the conversation.
