Fifa doubles Women’s World Cup preparation funding to match men’s teams
Fifa will give each of the 32 teams at the 2027 Women’s World Cup the same preparation funding as teams received for the 2026 men’s tournament. It has also promised players business-class or chartered flights and individual hotel rooms, bringing these arrangements into line with the men’s competition.
Preparation funding will more than double from $31m in 2023 to $80m, or $2.5m per team. The changes follow past concerns over travel and accommodation: a 2023 Fifpro survey found 80% of players returned in business class and 94% flew out in business class. Fifa has not yet set the tournament’s prize fund.
In short
- Women’s World Cup teams will each receive $2.5m in preparation funds.
- Players are guaranteed business-class or chartered flights.
- Each player will have an individual hotel room.
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The case for
Matching preparation funding, travel and accommodation with the men’s tournament recognises that elite women’s teams need comparable resources to prepare and compete well. The increase may also help narrow longstanding differences in support and give players more consistent, dignified conditions; waiting to settle the prize fund does not diminish the value of these immediate commitments.
The case against
The commitments may be a positive step, but preparation funding and travel arrangements alone do not establish overall equality while the 2027 prize fund remains unsettled. Fifa could also face questions about how the $80m will be distributed and whether the promised travel and accommodation standards will be delivered consistently, making scrutiny of implementation and the wider financial package reasonable.
Explained simply
The Women’s World Cup is Fifa’s international football tournament for national women’s teams. The 2027 edition will be held in Brazil, with 32 teams competing; national football associations prepare their squads before the tournament begins.
Fifa is football’s world governing body, and Fifpro represents professional players. Preparation funding helps teams cover costs such as training camps and travel, while flights and accommodation affect players’ conditions during the tournament.
The men’s and women’s competitions have had different levels of funding and support. How those arrangements compare is part of wider discussion about resources and conditions in international football; tournament preparation funding is separate from prize money awarded for results.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Fifa increases preparation money for Women’s World Cup to match men’s teams”.