U.S. men's national soccer team players who reached the last-16 of the World Cup will share their $16 million prize money equally with the women's team, according to terms of a collective bargaining agreement established in 2022.
This agreement mandates an equal split of World Cup prize money between the 26 men on the current roster and the 26 women selected for the upcoming Women's World Cup, provided they qualify. The U.S. Soccer Federation, which also compensates both teams $10,000 per World Cup match, will retain 20 percent of the prize money from the men's tournament. The remaining 80 percent is then divided between the male and female players who make their respective World Cup squads.
Under this arrangement, 40 percent of the total prize money, equating to $6.4 million, will go to each team. This amounts to approximately $246,153.85 per player on each roster. The same distribution model will apply to any prize money earned by the women's team in the 2027 Women's World Cup.
In contrast, the U.S. Women's National Team received $1.87 million when they were eliminated in the last-16 of the 2023 World Cup. FIFA has not yet announced the prize money for the next Women's World Cup, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino has expressed a desire to equalize prize money for men's and women's tournaments by 2027.
Separately, a human rights group, FairSquare, has announced its intention to refer Infantino to Olympic ethics investigators for alleged breaches of political neutrality. This action follows President Donald Trump's involvement in overturning a ban for player Folarin Balogun, allowing him to participate in a match where the team suffered a significant defeat.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cites neutrality as a fundamental principle for sports bodies like FIFA. Infantino joined the IOC's invited members in 2020, making him subject to its oversight. FairSquare stated it would file a complaint regarding Infantino's repeated violations of political neutrality rules.
Infantino's close ties with Trump have been noted since 2018, when the U.S., Canada, and Mexico were selected to co-host the World Cup. Infantino has been a frequent visitor to the White House and has publicly supported Trump's work. He also created the FIFA Peace Prize, which was presented to Trump in December 2025, an executive decision reportedly made by Infantino alone.