US Soccer equalizes pay in milestone with women, men

By ANNE M. PETERSON and RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writers

The U.S. Soccer Federation has reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally. That makes the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes completely matching compensation. The federation has announced separate collective bargaining agreements through 2028 with the unions for both national teams. The move ends years of often acrimonious negotiations. One of the main sticking points was World Cup prize money. The unions agreed to pool FIFA’s payments for the men’s World Cup this year and next year’s Women’s World Cup. It will also pool the 2026 and 2027 tournaments.