The Nigeria senior women’s national team are set for a huge payday at the 2023 Women’s World Cup after FIFA announced that this year’s prize money will be more than three times the £24 million paid out in total for the 2019 edition.
According to Football’s World Governing Body, FIFA, ahead of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, each player of the winning team might get up to $270,000 (₦125 million).
The money follows FIFA’s announcement of its new financial distribution scheme on Thursday, which comes ahead of the Women’s World Cup, that kicks off on July 20.
This is as part of FIFA’s initiative to raise the standard in the women’s game and close the gap between the women’s and men’s competitions as the prize money for the upcoming World Cup will see each player get at least ₦13 million for participating.
Each World Cup participant will receive $30,000 for participating with their side in the group stage and $60,000 (₦26 million) for making it to the round of 16.
Meanwhile, each player who made it to the quarterfinals will be eligible to get $90,000 (₦39m), while the players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $180,000 and $165,000, respectively.
The winning team will earn a total of £8.5m, with £4.99m of that going to the players, leaving each member of a potential World Cup winning side with at least £217,000, while second-place finishers in the competition receive $195,000.
Following this break down, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is set to receive $1,560,000 (₦721m) as Falcons’ qualified for the women’s World Cup.
However, should the Falcons win the competition, the Federation could receive as much as $4,290,000 (₦2bn).
“Under the ground-breaking new model, Participating Member Associations will receive record distributions to support football development in their countries, while all participating players will receive guaranteed remuneration for their achievements at the tournament,” the statement reads.
“Under this unprecedented new distribution model, each individual player at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 can now fully rely on remuneration for their efforts as they progress through the tournament.
“The captain that ultimately lifts the iconic FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy on August 20 in Sydney will receive USD 270,000, as will each of her 22 teammates.
“The global salary of women’s professional footballers is approximately USD14,000 annually so the amounts allocated under this unprecedented new distribution model will have a real and meaningful impact on the lives and careers of these players.
“Beyond this, all member associations will also receive a record financial distribution based on their performance, which they can use to reinvest back into football in their countries and which we believe will help to propel the women’s game even further.”
MOLATsportgist 