U.S. Soccer Federation, Women’s & Men’s National Team Unions Agree To Historic Collective Bargaining Agreements

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Photo: Kelly Backus/ESPN

History has been made as the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the United States Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) have agreed to collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that achieve equal pay and set the global standard moving forward in international soccer.

The two first-of-their-kind CBA deals run through 2028 and achieve equal pay through identical economic terms, including identical compensation for all competitions, such as the FIFA World Cup, and the introduction of the same commercial revenue sharing mechanism for both teams. The agreements will ensure that U.S. Soccer’s Senior National Team players remain among the highest paid in the world.

“This is a truly historic moment. These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” says U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “U.S. Soccer and the USWNT and USMNT players have reset their relationship with these new agreements and are leading us forward to an incredibly exciting new phase of mutual growth and collaboration as we continue our mission to become the preeminent sport in the United States.”

“I am grateful for the commitment and collaboration of both the men’s and women’s National Teams and I am incredibly proud of the hard work that has led to this moment. Everyone who cares about our sport should share in this pride as we look forward to working together to grow soccer for generations to come,” Cone adds.

Under these new agreements, U.S. Soccer becomes the first Federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded to the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) for participation in their respective World Cups. Equally as important, the new CBAs improve non-economic terms, including player health and safety, data privacy and the need to balance responsibilities to both club and country.

“They said equal pay for men and women was not possible, but that did not stop us and we went ahead and achieved it,” says Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC defender and member of USNSTPA leadership group. “We hope this will awaken others to the need for this type of change, and will inspire FIFA and others around the world to move in the same direction.”

“The accomplishments in this CBA are a testament to the incredible efforts of WNT players on and off the field,” says USWNT player and USWNTPA President Becky Sauerbrunn. “The gains we have been able to achieve are both because of the strong foundation laid by the generations of WNT players that came before the current team and through our union’s recent collaboration with our counterparts at the USNSTPA and leadership at U.S. Soccer. We hope that this agreement and its historic achievements in not only providing for equal pay but also in improving the training and playing environment for National Team players will similarly serve as the foundation for continued growth of women’s soccer both in the United States and abroad.”

Key aspects of the agreements include:

  • The CBAs provide for equal rates of pay across the components of Senior National Team player pay, including on-field base and performance pay, equalization of World Cup prize money, and commercial revenue share.
  • Senior National Team benefits such as child care and retirement.
  • Best-in-class playing and training environments
  • USWNT additional benefits like insurance, parental leave, and short-term disability.

For more information and to read the full agreement, click here.

Steven Boero
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