'Best' Women's World Cup generates $570m for FIFA - Infantino
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[August 19, 2023]
By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY (Reuters) - FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said on Friday the
Women's World Cup had generated more than $570 million in revenue
and enabled soccer's global governing body to break even, despite
raising the prize purse tenfold compared to the 2015 edition.
The Swiss, in a typically combative speech, said the ninth edition
of the FIFA showpiece event had been the "best and greatest and
biggest", and vindicated the decision to raise the prize money and
expand the field from 24 to 32 teams.
"Some voices were raised, would it cost too much? We don't make
enough revenues, we will have to subsidise. And our opinion was,
well if we have to subsidize, we will subsidize, because we have to
do that," he told the FIFA Women's Football Convention.
"But actually, this World Cup generated over 570 million U.S.
dollars in revenues, and so we broke even. We didn't lose any money
and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of
course the men's World Cup, at a global stage."
That was one of the few comparisons to men's football in Infantino's
speech. The $440 million prize purse for the men's World Cup in
Qatar is still considerably more than the $152 million being shared
by the women in Australia and New Zealand.
"I say to all the women, you have the power to change. Pick the
right battles. Pick the right fights," Infantino said.
"Just keep pushing, keep the momentum, keep dreaming, and let's
really go for a full equality. Not just equal pay in the World Cup,
which is a slogan that comes up every now and then.
"Equal pay in the World Cup, we are going in that direction already.
But that would not solve anything ... because it's one month every
four years and it's a few players out of the thousands and thousands
of players."
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![](../images/081923PIX/sports67.jpg)
Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup
Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Semi Final - Australia v England -
Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia - August 16, 2023 FIFA
president Gianni Infantino is pictured in the stands REUTERS/Jaimi
Joy/File Photo
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Infantino also rounded on critics of the choice of
Australia and New Zealand as hosts, and of the tournament's
expansion.
"I remember when we decided to do that, of course the usual critics,
which are less and less, were saying it's not going to work and the
level is too different," he said.
"There would be 15-0 scores, it will be bad for women's football and
its image. I'm sorry but FIFA was right. FIFA was right. As it
happens quite often in the last years, FIFA was right once more."
England play Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday to
close the tournament.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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