The England’s women’s national team will not receive World Cup bonuses from its national federation following a breakdown in negotiations.
A new FIFA pay structure will see players directly compensated for the World Cup for the first time. But England’s Football Association has said it will not give its players bonus payments, The Times reported.
Instead, each player will receive just the FIFA payment, with every group-stage competitor receiving $30,000. The payments will increase with each stage; if England wins the tournament, each player on the Lionesses would receive $270,000.
While England players receive match fees for playing in international friendlies, they don’t receive such fees for major tournaments. Some national teams, including Germany, follow the same payment structure. But other teams, including the USWNT and Australia, will be paying out bonuses on top of the FIFA money.
According to The Times, players are set to push for additional bonuses to be put in place in the future, but negotiations for the World Cup began too late.
England players also are frustrated over a media “blackout,” which began at the start of England’s camp on June 19. According to players, the inability to participate in media opportunities has caused them to miss out on deals. And what deals they were able to negotiate were crammed into one week, or even in some cases one day.