US men's and women's soccer teams will be paid equally under milestone new deal

Briana Scurry, Margaret ‘Midge’ Purce, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Foudy, Cindy Parlow Cone, Nancy Pelosi
Former members and members of the U.S. Women's National soccer team, from left, Briana Scurry, Margaret 'Midge' Purce, Kelley O'Hara, Julie Foudy, and Cindy Parlow Cone, President of U.S. Soccer, pose for a photo with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., before an event to celebrate Equal Pay Day and Women's History Month in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in Washington. The U.S. Soccer Federation reached milestone agreements to pay its men's and women's teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Wednesday that it has reached a deal to pay the U.S. Men’s National Team and the U.S. Women’s National Team equally, eliminating a contentious pay gap that saw female players earning less.

The new collective bargaining agreement will run through 2028 and include the “equalization” of World Cup prize money, the organization announced.

In February, the governing body and the women’s team announced a settlement to resolve the longstanding pay dispute, with the federation agreeing to pay the two teams equally in the next union contract and give the women’s team $22 million in back pay.

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