U.S. Soccer matches pay for men’s and women’s teams

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Wednesday that it will be giving equal pay and equal bonuses to the men’s and women’s teams, making it the first in the world to do so. Both unions agreed to new collective bargaining agreements, which will run through December 2028.

How will this change earnings? Previously, the women’s team had guaranteed base salaries as part of their contracts that varied widely between players, plus bonuses. Now, like the men, they will be paid for achievements such as roster selection and team performance. Additionally, the men’s and women’s teams will pool and equally distribute any World Cup prizes to make up for the fact that FIFA, the international soccer governing body, pays more prize revenue for the men’s tournament than the women’s. The U.S. women’s national team has won back-to-back World Cup championships, while the U.S. men did not qualify for the World Cup in 2018.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Sift on the women’s national team lawsuit that brought about the change.