World Cup 2023: Australian Team Calls FIFA Out Over Prize Money

With the Women's World Cup to take off in a few days, the Australian women's national football team has demanded, on Monday, that FIFA make the prize money for both women and men equal.

The squad sent out a video statement before the Women's World Cup, addressing the issue of unequal compensation for women's teams around the world.

“Seven hundred and thirty-six footballers have the honour of representing their countries on the biggest stage this tournament,” they said. “Yet many are still denied the basic right to organise and collectively bargain."

“Collective bargaining has allowed us to ensure we (the Matildas) now get the same conditions as the Socceroos, with one exception -– FIFA will still only offer women one quarter as much prize money as men for the same achievement."

"We call on those in positions of power across football, business, and politics to come on the journey with us to make women's football as big as it can be, here and around the world," they continued.

This year's Women's World Cup comprises 32 teams for the first time and has $152 million in prize money, which is triple the amount from the 2019 tournament in France.

However, this sum is dwarfed by the $440 million that was awarded as prizes for the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar.

According to FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, the organisation has spent $1 billion on women's football and has the "ambition" to have equal prize money for the men's and women's World Cups in 2026 and 2027.

After winning a high-profile case in 2022, the United States women's team joined the Matildas as one of the few national teams having a collective bargaining agreement in effect.

In 2019, Australia's female football players reached an agreement with Football Federation Australia to be paid the same as their male counterparts under a standard contract system.

On Monday, the team released a video detailing the significant events that led to the favourable circumstances under which they currently operate.

Captain Sam Kerr said in the video, "Those that came before us showed us that being a Matilda means something."

“They showed us how to fight for recognition, validation, and respect.”

A similar message, highlighting human rights concerns, was released by the Australian men's team before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The World Cup is expected to increase worldwide interest in women's football, which is currently seeing a spike in popularity in some countries.

More than two billion spectators are anticipated to tune in, and chief women's football officer at FIFA, Sarai Bareman, called it a "watershed moment" earlier this year.