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USWNT achieves equal pay with new labor deal

(Jesse Louie/Just Women’s Sports)

The U.S. women’s and men’s national soccer team have closed the pay gap between the sides with new labor deals announced Wednesday.

With the landmark collective bargaining agreements, the United States becomes the first country to achieve equal pay for its men’s and women’s soccer teams, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation. Both agreements run through 2028.

Notably, the deals stipulates equal FIFA World Cup prize money for the women’s and men’s teams. Both teams will pool their World Cup bonuses and split them evenly, helping to bring balance to FIFA’s still gender-imbalanced payouts.

U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone advocated for such a split when speaking with Just Women’s Sports last November.

“Until FIFA actually equalizes their own prize money, I would love for the men’s team and the women’s team to come together with U.S. Soccer to find a solution,” Parlow Cone said. “My ideal vision is for FIFA to equalize not only the World Cup prize money, but to equalize their investment in the women’s and girls’ game.

“But until FIFA equalizes it, it’s up to us. And by us, I mean U.S. Soccer, the women’s team and the men’s team coming together to find a solution.”

As of late March, equalizing the FIFA prize money had been the biggest holdup in negotiations.

For the next World Cup competitions, 10 percent of the prize money will be given to the federation. For the 2026/2027 competitions, 20 percent will be paid to USSF. The rest will be divided equally amongst the two teams.

For tournaments that are not the World Cup but are effectively the same for men and women – think Gold Cup and W Gold Cup – 70 percent of the prize money will be pooled and split between the two teams in the same manner.

With the new deal, the USWNT players are giving up guaranteed contracts to shift to a pay-for-play structure like the men. The number of players on guaranteed contracts was at 16 before the new CBA. Instead, USWNT players will receive appearance fees and game bonuses for training camp and game participation.

“The way that this new CBA is structured, we’ve increased the amount of risk with your paycheck,” Midge Purce, a member of the USWNTPA CBA committee, told The Athletic. But increases in NWSL salaries have helped soften the blow of the money now coming on a per-game basis.

“The ability to do that has come a lot from the strength that the NWSL has gained in the past few years,” Purce told ESPN. “We have a strong enough league here at home where we can depend on those salaries a little bit more and leave a little more risk up to the national team. And I think that’s really helped free up that risk.”

There’s also more incentive to schedule better opponents for friendlies. In USSF-controlled matches, for opponents ranked in the top 25 of FIFA’s rankings, players will receive $18,000 for a win, $12,000 for a draw and $8,000 for a loss. The amounts are less for all other opponents – $13,000 for a win, $10,000 for a draw and $8,000 for a loss.

In addition to the shift, an equal number of players will be named to men’s and women’s gameday rosters, increasing the majority of USWNT rosters to 23 players from the usual 18. That means that in addition to the better bonuses, more players will have the opportunity to earn them.

The increase in pay means that, according to USA Today, the USWNT players who participate in this summer’s World Cup qualifying tournament could earn up to $120,000 – a 68 percent increase from 2018.

One big step toward equal distribution of earnings, according to USMNT center back Walker Zimmerman, came when the men’s players sat down with the women’s players as they attempted to negotiate their contract.

“I would say that’s when the reality hit,” he told The Athletic. “Like, ‘Yeah, this is what we need to do, this is what has to happen to grow the game beyond just the men’s team and the women’s team, but to grow it at the grassroots level.’

“I think that’s kind of what sold it at the end of the day, is that this is what’s right and that this is an opportunity to do what no other national team has done.”

As a first for both national teams, U.S. Soccer will now share a portion of broadcast, apparel and sponsorship revenue. That share will then be divided equally amongst the two teams. A set number will be given per ticket sold at home games controlled by the federation, with a 10 percent bonus for sell-outs. As for commercial revenues, once the threshold of earnings hits $55 million, each national team will receive 10 percent. If that number surpasses $75 million, each team will receive 15 percent.

With the ratification of the new CBA, the USWNT’s equal pay lawsuit settlement can now be resolved following approval from both the players and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Improved working conditions for both sides have been included in the new contracts. Childcare will be provided to USMNT players – something which has been included for the women for more than 25 years. Additionally, field surfaces, staffing, travel and accommodations will be equitable.

In a statement, USWNTPA president Becky Sauerbrunn called the accomplishments a testament “to the incredible efforts of WNT players on and off the field.”

“We hope that this agreement and its historic achievements in not only providing for equal pay but also in improving the training and playing environment for National Team players will similarly serve as the foundation for continued growth of women’s soccer both in the United States and abroad,” she said.

Parlow Cone, who has been largely instrumental in getting a deal done and was supported by USWNT players in her re-election campaign against former president Carlos Cordeiro, called the moment “historic.”

“These agreements have changed the game forever here in the United States and have the potential to change the game around the world,” she said in a statement. “U.S. Soccer and the USWNT and USMNT players have reset their relationship with these new agreements and are leading us forward to an incredibly exciting new phase of mutual growth and collaboration as we continue our mission to become the preeminent sport in the United States.”

Katie Ledecky Nears Own 1,500-Meter Freestyle Record at TYR Pro Swim Series

US swimming star Katie Ledecky reacts to her 1500-meter freestyle time on Wednesday.
Katie Ledecky posted her best 1500-meter freestyle time in seven years this week. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Star US distance swimmer Katie Ledecky is back to her old tricks, registering her fastest 1,500-meter freestyle in seven years — and the event's second-best time in history — at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday.

The nine-time Olympic gold medalist finished the 30 pool lengths in 15:24.51, just missing the world-record 15:20.48 race time she posted in 2018.

Ledecky now holds the 1,500-meter freestyle's top 22 fastest times in women's swimming history — all of which would have won Wednesday's final race, where she defeated second-place finisher Jillian Cox — a University of Texas freshman — by a full 39 seconds.

Even more, Ledecky didn't slow down after her 1,500-meter performance posting her fastest 400-meter freestyle in nine years the very next day.

In the final lap of the race, the 28-year-old staged a comeback to pass Canadian teenage phenom and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Summer McIntosh and secure the win.

Her time of 3:56.81 just missed the US record of 3:56.46 that Ledecky previously claimed along with a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"I don't know if I ever thought I was going to be 3:56 again," Ledecky said in her post-race broadcast interview. "I'm just really happy with all the work that I've put in to get to this point."

How to watch Ledecky at the 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series

The 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series continues through Saturday, with Ledecky competing in Friday's 200-meter freestyle final prior to racing in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday.

Both races will begin at 6 PM ET on their respective days.

Live coverage of the meet will stream on Peacock on Friday before shifting to the USA Swimming Network on Saturday.

English FA Issues Ban on Trans Athletes in Women’s Soccer

The FA "For All" corner flag flies on the pitch before a 2024 international friendly between England and Switzerland.
The Football Association's transgender athlete ban follows a ruling from Britain's highest court. (Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

The English Football Association (FA) announced Thursday that it will ban trans women athletes from playing women's soccer starting with the 2025/26 season, with the governing body's new policy officially going into effect on June 1st.

Previously, the FA allowed trans women athletes to play on women's teams as long as they had "blood testosterone within natal female range."

The move comes after April 16th's landmark ruling from the UK's highest court, which states that gender equality protections only apply to what the court called "biological women" — and that trans women do not legally meet that definition.

The Scottish FA followed suit, also releasing its decision to ban trans women athletes from competitive play on Thursday.

Notably, there are currently no trans women playing anywhere on the UK's professional football pyramid. However, some 72 trans athletes played in FA grassroots matches over the last decade.

Today, an estimated 20 to 30 trans players participate in that growing grassroots system, an initiative created to advance the FA's four "game-changer" priorities — one of which is to "see a game free from discrimination."

“We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game,” the association said in Thursday's statement.

"It is clear these abrupt changes have been made on legal advice following the recent UK Supreme Court ruling, as there remains no football-specific peer-reviewed research or evidence that shows the existing policies constitute a safety risk," stated advocacy group Pride Sports in response. "One consequence of these bans will, inevitably, be a rise in incidents of transphobia in football."

NWSL Teams Shoot for Redemption in Action-Packed Weekend Lineup

San Diego's Hanna Lundkvist, Delphine Cascarino, and Trinity Armstrong celebrate a goal during a 2025 NWSL game.
San Diego is currently fifth in the NWSL standings. (Talia Sprague/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

This weekend's NWSL action features top-table battles, Cinderella hopefuls, and a whole slew of teams hunting redemption wins to open May's league play.

Perched at the top of the NWSL standings, the Kansas City Current sits tied for points with the second-place Orlando Pride, while just four points separate the remaining six teams currently above the postseason cutoff line.

With last week's rollercoaster results setting up redemption arcs for this weekend's slate, the 2025 NWSL season's seventh matchday is full of bounce-back opportunities, a tight race to the top, and a California clash:

  • No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 9 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Both the Spirit and Angel City are coming off disappointing losses, with once-unbeaten LA slipping out of the Top-8 on a two-match skid. Can either contender regain their early season form?
  • No. 7 Seattle Reign FC vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Friday at 10:30 PM ET (Paramount+): The Reign are hanging tough after two weeks of adding points, but they'll face a redemption-hunting Current squad determined to rebound from their first season loss last weekend.
  • No. 6 Portland Thorns vs. No. 2 Orlando Pride, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): The Thorns have gained points in five of their last six games, and Portland will need all that resilience against a challenging Pride side that's more than capable of mounting their own comebacks.
  • No. 5 San Diego Wave vs. No. 8 Bay FC, Sunday at 8 PM ET (Paramount+): The weekend's marquee matchup pits the Wave — quietly finding their identity under new coach Jonas Eidevall — against Bay FC in a California clash where neither team can afford to lose much ground.

WNBA Stars Head Back to College for Preseason Games

LSU's Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese high-five during their 2024 Elite Eight NCAA tournament game.
Chicago's Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese will return to LSU for Friday's WNBA preseason game. (Scott Taetsch/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

It's back-to-school weekend for the WNBA, as teams travel to stars' old collegiate stomping grounds to tip off a series of preseason exhibitions.

While preseason matchups don't carry the same weight as opening day, the league raised the stakes this year to give fans a taste of what's to come during the gap between March Madness and the May 16th 2025 WNBA season tip-off.

Kicking off the preseason party is this year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, who will make her professional debut when the Dallas take on Las Vegas on Friday. The showdown will occur at Notre Dame's Purcell Pavilion, as both teams boast Fighting Irish alumni in the Wings' Arike Ogunbowale and the Aces' Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd.

Later on Friday, reunited LSU teammates Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith will return to the Baton Rouge court when the Chicago Sky tips off against the Brazil Women's National Team.

After facing the Washington Mystics on Saturday, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will travel to the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's alma mater Iowa for their own date with Brazil on Sunday.

Fever fans will be particularly grateful that Sunday clash will receive national airtime, as resale tickets for the sold-out game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are averaging upwards of $440 apiece.

To cap off the weekend, Sunday will also see the new-look Connecticut Sun will battle a Seattle Storm squad hungry to jump back into title contention this season.

Though the exhibition results won't matter, testing players in front of a crowd while building excitement for the upcoming 2025 season can be just as crucial for teams as they look to polish their rosters over the next two weeks.

How to watch this weekend's WNBA preseason games

Friday will see the Dallas Wings take on the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET followed by the Chicago Sky's matchup against Brazil at 9 PM ET, with both games airing live on ION.

Indiana's busy weekend begins with Saturday's 1 PM ET clash with Washington on NBA TV before the Fever face Brazil at 4 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ESPN.

The weekend's final exhibition pits Connecticut against Seattle at 6 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage available with the WNBA League Pass.

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