U.S. Soccer's $24M Equal-Pay Settlement and Identical Collective Bargaining Agreements (2022)

The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) settled a class-action equal-pay lawsuit brought by the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) in February 2022, and in May 2022 signed new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with the USWNT Players Association and the U.S. Men's National Team Players Association, running through 2028.

The $24 million settlement comprised $22 million in back pay distributed among USWNT players plus a $2 million fund each player could draw up to $50,000 from for post-career and charitable purposes. The CBAs equalised roster-appearance and performance fees and per-game FIFA World Cup fees, split USSF-controlled broadcast, sponsorship and ticketing revenue 50/50, equalised charter-flight and hotel standards, and matched 401(k) contributions up to 5% for both teams. Guaranteed USWNT salaries (previously needed because the NWSL could not support players) were phased out as pay structures were harmonised.

USSF became the first national federation to pool and equally distribute FIFA World Cup prize money between its men's and women's senior teams rather than each team keeping its own unequal payout, a mechanism used at the 2022 and 2023 World Cups and extended through 2026-2027. USWNT players also retained sport-specific protections absent from the men's deal, including guaranteed childcare, up to six months of paid parental leave, and short-term disability coverage.

The reform equalised formal pay and revenue-sharing terms between the men's and women's national teams, though the retained USWNT-specific benefits indicate not every gendered cost of a playing career was eliminated.