United States offers identical contracts and pay to male and female players

The federation has called for players to join it in ‘finding a way to equalise Fifa World Cup prize money between the USMNT and the USWNT’

The United States pose for a team photo at the 2019 Women’s World Cup (AFP via Getty Images)

The United States Soccer Federation has announced that it has offered identical contracts to the player associations of both its men’s and women’s national teams.

The body has also called on players and the associations to work with it to find a way to ensure equal Fifa World Cup prize money for the two sides.

In 2019 players from the women’s team put their names to a lawsuit against the USSF over equal pay and working conditions.

In May last year the claim for equal pay was thrown out by a federal judge, and an appeal was subsequently launched.

An agreement between the US Soccer Federation (USSF) and the women’s team over working conditions has since been reached.

“US Soccer firmly believes that the best path forward for all involved, and for the future of the sport in the United States, is a single pay structure for both senior national teams,” said a statement from the USSF.

“With the goal of aligning the men’s and women’s senior national teams under a single collective bargaining agreement (CBA) structure, this proposal will ensure that USWNT and USMNT players remain among the highest paid senior national team players in the world, while providing a revenue sharing structure that would allow all parties to begin anew and share collectively in the opportunity that combined investment in the future of US Soccer will deliver over the course of a new CBA.”

The USA are currently the women’s world champions having defended their World Cup crown in France in 2019 to secure their fourth overall win.

The men, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the Fifa World Cup 2018 in Russia.

Gregg Berhalter’s side won the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup with victory over Mexico during the summer and currently possess one of three automatic qualification spots for the region ahead of next year’s World Cup in Qatar.