FIFA Women's World Cup: Prize money and other key numbers to know
Fox Sports lead Women's World Cup game analyst Aly Wagner on previews the 2019 Women's World Cup, the push for equal pay for female athletes and the potential boost to growth for sports such as soccer from parents' concerns over the injury risks from football.
Soccer will once again take center stage when the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in France on Friday.
The eighth edition of international soccer’s most prestigious event begins on June 7 and runs through early July. The defending champion U.S. women’s national team, bolstered by stars such as Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz, are favorites to win this year, with France and Germany also considered top contenders.
This year’s event will feature its largest prize money pool ever, as FIFA executives sought to assuage concerns about a gender pay gap between the men’s and women’s tournaments by doubling the payout. However, the total prize pool is still a fraction of that of the men’s World Cup, and the Australian women’s national team called on FIFA to institute equal pay just hours before play was set to begin.
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FOX Business breaks down key financial figures and other numbers to know while watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup below.
24: Countries taking part in this year’s event
$30 million: Total prize money that will be awarded to participating countries at this year’s event, or double the prize pool from 2015.
$4 million: Prize money awarded to the winning team at this year’s women’s world cup, or twice as much as the U.S. women’s national team earned for winning in 2015.
$38 million: Prize money awarded to the French men’s national team for winning the World Cup in 2018. The disparity in prize money between the men’s and women’s event has drawn widespread criticism.
$718,750: Money donated by LUNA Bar to ensure that each member of the U.S. women’s national team receives the same roster bonus awarded to their male counterparts for earning a spot on the World Cup roster, or $31,250 per player.
6: Main corporate sponsors at this year’s FIFA women’s World Cup – Adidas, Coca-Cola, Wanda, Hyundai, Qatar Airways and Visa.
4: Countries that have won the FIFA Women’s World Cup since its debut in 1991. Past champions include Norway, Germany, Japan and the United States.
3: The number of times the U.S. women’s national team has won the World Cup, more than any other country.
9: French cities that will play host to women’s World Cup matches this year, including Paris.