How the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Scored a Goal for Gender Equality

On August 20, Spain’s La Roja team won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup by defeating England’s Lionesses, the previous European champions, 1-0 in a thrilling and hard-fought final at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Not only was this specific match-up unique (neither team had previously made it to a final or won the trophy), but it was also the culmination of a Women’s World Cup that was praised as one of the most successful in history.

A staggering 1.978 million fans witnessed this year’s World Cup matches in person, breaking the previous record of 1.131 million set during the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. According to Euromonitor International and U.N. Women, the 64 games were watched by more than 2 billion people worldwide, double the number of viewers from the 2019 tournament. The broadcasting revenues are expected to reach nearly $200 million.

The tournament was not only a financial success, however, but also a success in terms of advancing gender equality globally. When billions of individuals worldwide witness women playing at an elite level, it improves their general perception of women’s abilities. It inspires millions of young girls to pursue their dreams more confidently on and off the soccer field.

This year’s success may be attributed to a few recent developments. For example, the organizers of this championship, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), expanded the format from 24 teams to 32 teams to align with the Men’s World Cup. They also increased the prize money from $30 million in the previous tournament to $110 million, a 266% increase. The FIFA governing body encouraged team captains to wear armbands, created in partnership with several United Nations agencies and the World Health Organization, that carried messages such as “Unite for Gender Equality,” “Unite for Ending Violence Against Women,” and “Unite for Inclusion.”

These tournament-wide developments would likely not have been possible without the U.S. Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) tireless work in recent years to fight for pay parity between the men’s and women’s teams — a fight they won in a historic agreement reached last year. Their victory seems to have had a domino effect on football federations across the globe. Advocates from Colombia, Canada, South Africa, Jamaica, England, and Nigeria are now pushing for equal pay.

Yet, despite these incredible achievements, there’s still work left to be done to ensure equality in soccer. For example, FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised that every player in the tournament would be paid at least $30,000, but later went back on his promise. The global professional soccer players’ union, FIFPRO, also sent a letter signed by 150 women’s national team players to FIFA calling for equal World Cup prize money, as the raise to $110 million is still behind the $440 million awarded in the 2022 Men’s World Cup.

The issues plaguing FIFA extend beyond just closing the pay gap, including failing to safeguard players from sexual misconduct, harassment, and other forms of unlawful retaliation. Recently, FIFA suspended Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish soccer federation, for 90 days due to his unwanted advances toward World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso — a suspension that didn’t happen until Spain’s women’s coaches resigned.

Much work must be done to ensure that female players are treated with dignity and receive equal pay for the same job as their male counterparts, but it’s still essential to acknowledge the measurable steps taken so far. All things considered, it’s fair to say that this year’s Women’s World Cup still contributed to gender equality.