The U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) is set to benefit financially from the recent success of their male counterparts in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Although they won’t compete until next summer in Brazil, the USWNT players are poised to enjoy a share of the $16 million prize money accumulated by the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) for reaching the Round of 16.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf, this prize money will be divided equally among both the 26 men on the U.S. roster and the 26 women who will join the team for next year’s 2027 Women’s World Cup, should they qualify. This agreement is based on collective bargaining deals ratified by U.S. Soccer in 2022, a notable achievement following six years of pursuit by the women’s team for equal pay.

Kassouf estimated that $6.4 million will be distributed among the USWNT players next year, conditional on their qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This financial equality illustrates a significant step in addressing gender pay disparities within sports.

While this prize money is undoubtedly a positive outcome, the USMNT faces challenges in achieving the same level of on-field success as the USWNT. On July 6, the USMNT suffered a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, marking another Round-of-16 exit. Their last quarterfinal appearance was in 2002, with the best finish being a semifinal in the inaugural 1930 World Cup.

With the men’s World Cup being hosted in the U.S. for the first time since 1994, hopes were high for the USMNT to surpass the Round-of-16 barrier. However, they will have to wait another four years to tackle this challenge.

Next summer, the USWNT is anticipated to contend for its fifth World Cup title, striving to recover from an atypical performance at the 2023 World Cup when they were defeated by Sweden in the Round of 16. Historically, the USWNT has won the World Cup in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019, while Spain currently holds the championship title.