Players call for equal prize money for Women's Asian Cup

The AFC is expected to maintain total prize money for the Women’s Asian Cup through March 21 at US$1.8 million. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SYDNEY – With the Women’s Asian Cup under way in Australia, the players’ union is calling on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to assign it equal prize money to the men’s version, saying that the current tournament has the potential to be “the most commercially successful” edition ever.

The AFC is expected to maintain total prize money for the Women’s Asian Cup through March 21 at US$1.8 million, unchanged from the previous edition in 2022.

Fifpro Asia/Oceania said that the tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the World Cup in Brazil next year, could generate up to US$82.4 million in revenue, with an estimated attendance of 797,000, citing research by global sports intelligence agency Gemba.

Players from seven of the 12 participating teams sent a letter to the AFC in December, calling for improvements in four areas, including equal prize money and playing conditions compared with the men’s tournament.

Among them, Japan captain Yui Hasegawa, who plays for Manchester City, said: “I hope the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will offer the best conditions and make progress in the area of prize money, so it is as close as possible to the men’s.”

The Men’s Asian Cup in 2024 had a total prize pool of US$14.8 million for 24 teams.