US bill would link 2026 World Cup funds to equal pay

US GOVERNMENT ENT funding for the 2026 World Cup would be denied until the US Soccer Federation provides s equal pay for women’s and men’s en’s teams under a bill introduced d on Tuesday.

US Senator Jo e Manchin, a Demomocrat from West Virgi ni a, submitted t ed the bill to US lawmakers two days after the American an women won a second consec- utive Women’s Wo r l d Cu p title by defeating the Netherlands 2-0 in France. Fans chan chanted “Equal pay, equal p pay,” in the stadium after af the US women’s v i c t or y, t he squad having filed a laws u i t against US Soccer in Ma March making th their case for m mone y a n d su support equal t o a men’s t team with far w o r s e results. T he US will co-host t h e 2 0 2 6 World Cup tournament along with neighbours Mexico and Canada.

“No federa l f unds may be appropr iated or ot her wise made ava i lable to prov ide support for t he 2026 World Cup, including support for a host cit y, a pa r t icipat i ng st ate or loc a l a genc y, t he Un ite d St ate s Soccer Federat ion, t he Confederat ion of Nort h, Centra l America a nd Ca r ibbea n A s s oci at ion Footba l l (Concaca f ), or t he Federat ion de Footba l l A ssociat ion ( Fi fa), u nt i l t he date on which t he United States Soccer Federation agrees to prov ide equitable pay to the members of the United St ates Women’s Nat iona l Tea m a nd t he United States Men’s Nationa l Tea m,” t he bi l l reads.

The US Senate and House of Representatives would have to vote in favour of the measure and US President Donald Trump, who has exchanged barbs on Twitter with US women’s star Megan Rapinoe (pictured with the Women’s World Cup, Golden Boot and Golden Ball trophies, AFP), would have to sign the bill or have a veto overriden to turn the measure into binding law.

But the US women have won many supporters to their side with overwhelming World Cup title runs over the past month in France and four years ago in Canada.

The US men, by comparison, lost to Mexico on Sunday in the Gold Cup final among Concacaf (North American) nations and failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Manchin said he introduced the bill after receiving a letter from West Virginia Universit y women’s soccer coach Ni k k i Izzo-Brow n pleading the case for the US women’s equal pay.

“That’s just plain wrong,” Manchin said of the pay inequality.

“T he c l e a r u ne q u i t a bl e p a y between the US men’s and women’s soccer tea ms is unacceptable a nd I’m g lad t he US Women’s Soccer Team latest victor y is causing public outcr y.

“They are the best in the world and deser ve to be pa id accord i ng ly.”