The prize fund of the women’s world championship this year has increased by 300%.
The $150 million fund for the first 32-team tournament is a huge boost from the 24-team tournament in 2019 and 10 times more than in 2015.
Some of that prize money should go towards paying players, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday after being re-elected by acclimatization until 2027.
FIFA UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES THE EXPANDATION OF THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TO 32 TEAMS
Infantino also again expressed anger at broadcasters for offering too few television rights. He said that FIFA would not sell the rights to broadcast the tournament in Australia and New Zealand at the prices currently offered.
“Women deserve much, much more and we are here to fight for them and with them,” he said.
Spain’s Alexia Putellas receives the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award during a ceremony in Paris, France on February 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Michelle Euler)
Women’s players around the world compete for equal pay and equal respect with the men’s national teams, including the reigning champions USA, Canada, France and Spain.
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Infantino has set the goal of equal prize money for men and women at their next World Cups in 2026 and 2027 respectively – a daunting task when 32 men’s teams split $440 million at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The FIFA president has angrily lashed out at broadcasters, some of them taxpayer-funded public channels, who said he was offering 100 times less for the rights to the women’s tournament.
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Infantino first raised the issue in October in New Zealand and insisted that FIFA would still not sell at those prices, as women’s football audiences attract 20-50% less than men’s games.
“Well, offer us 20% less, 50% less. But not 100% less,” said Infantino in his final speech at the FIFA Congress. “That’s why we can’t do it.”
Over 350 teams started the season in November chasing the dream of winning the national championship. On Sunday, the number of teams in contention for the title was reduced to 68, and on Wednesday we reduced the number of participants in the NCAA Tournament to 64 teams.
Now all you have to do is make your choice!
Our CBS Sports experts have spent months preparing for just this moment. We’ve broken down the feed, watched the top players, and put together all the information you need to help you build your grid. From the number 1 team at the number 16 seed, we’ve got you covered in all 68 teams, in all 65 games, and in all three weeks of the tournament.
Time for braces is running out! Fill in the brackets in your pools and participate in the raffle for a ticket to the Men’s Final Four 2024Ⓡ.
The CBS Sports college basketball team has filled in their expert brackets, so consider this a cheat sheet to help you win your pool. (Copy whatever you want, we won’t judge.) We are here to serve you, and our knowledge is your knowledge. Just know that if we are right and make the right choice, we are fully responsible and want the credit (tweet us!). And if not, well, we bear no fault. These are the rules.
An amazing coach, great defensemen, experienced players and NBA talent are what it usually takes to win a national championship. Houston ticks all the boxes given that Kelvin Sampson is an amazing coach, Jamal Shed and Markus Sasser are great defensemen, four of Houston’s top five scorers are non-freshmen, and Sasser and Jaras Walker should both be first-round NBA draft picks. Am I concerned about Sasser’s groin injury? Of course, a little. But assuming he’s ok, I think Houston is the best-equipped to win six games in this bracket and score goals on the first Monday in April.
I’m going to a collection of stories. I’m going to Houston to do something that hasn’t happened since 1972: the team won the national championship in their hometown (UCLA did it in 1968 and 1972). I’m heading to Houston to do it, with UH alumnus Jim Nantz on the mic for the final NCAA Tournament Challenge of his Hall of Fame career. But I’m doing this primarily because Houston has been ranked as the best team in college basketball for several months on all major analytical indicators. The proof is there. There is no guarantee that this team will make it to the Final Four, but this is the best candidate. And if Marcus Sasser’s groin problem resolves, that means the Cougars will have a nasty three-back offense, future lottery pick (Jeras Walker) and the coach (Kelvin Sampson) who brought this school to the biggest stage just two years ago. They have the pedigree, the talent, the size, the strength and the stamina to do it.
As far as Purdue is concerned, they have the best college basketball player. Painter sits next to Sampson on the shortlist of the best coaches in the game. I believe the Boilers will complete their March hex this year and finally break through to their first Final Four in 43 years thanks to a heroic/dominant run by Zach Edie. I’ll be brief about my other two Final Four teams: Gonzaga has the best offense in collegiate hoops, and for a month he was ranked the best team in the country. Creighton has one of the top 8-10 starting fives in the sport and ticks all the boxes for what you want from a Final Four team: experience, defense, shooting, NBA athleticism, high level point guard play, a really good coach . There will be a punched seed not 1/2/3. Why not Creighton?
The health of star quarterback and top scorer Marcus Sasser may leave you in doubt about the Cougars’ chances, but if he returns to full strength, Houston should be considered in the lead until further notice. This club, led by Calvin Sampson, is the toughest and most well-rounded team in the sport, and also the most grueling matchup for opposing teams. They routinely beat the attacking glass, seize second chance opportunities, and beat teams with their methodical pace. With 31 wins and just three losses in March Madness, this team from Houston sits at the top of the rankings. 1 on multiple analytics sites and has the right balance of attack and defense you want from an opponent as the only team in the sport with top 11 offense and defense in adjusted performance ratings.
Alabama struggled in their last four regular season games after it was revealed that star freshman Brandon Miller was involved in the fatal shooting. But Crimson Tide regained their composure in the SEC tournament and beat three NCAA Tournament teams by double figures en route to the title. With experienced defenders, elite wingers/forwards and a rim guard in Charles Bediako, this team has no shortage of anything. While the program’s handling of off-court scandal is clearly questionable, the team has more talent than any other college basketball team.
Alabama might not have been my choice for a total no. 1 seed, but they certainly got a good draw. The South region has the weakest two and four seeds, as well as the three seeds that struggle at the end of the season. Once they get to the Final Four, I expect Brandon Miller to take over and lead Bama to his first national title. Gonzaga hasn’t had a regular season that matches the standards we’re used to. After the defeat at St. Mary’s, everything changed. In particular, Zags’ backcourt play has improved and they are now heavily involved in the NCAA Tournament. I expect this movement to continue all the way to Houston.
I started filling out my spreadsheet knowing how unlikely it is for schools to win a national championship and then lose it. I also know how unlikely it is that a program will win a national championship, lose most of the players in the main rotation, and then come back and compete for the national championship. But that’s exactly what Kansas did, scoring a record 17 Quad 1 wins, another Big 12 crown in the regular season, and earning a third-place finish. 1st place in the NCAA Tournament. I think the bracket breaks favorably as UCLA handles injury issues and Kansas can match styles with teams like UCLA or Gonzaga, as needed. From there, it’s the fourth meeting with Texas in Houston, which should be epic, and then the meeting with the winner of my side of chaos, which has Arizona from the south and Duke from the east. The Blue Devils haven’t played as No. 1. 5th in their last nine games as they’ve gotten healthier and blue-chip freshmen have become even more comfortable in their roles. It’s a bad draw for Purdue, made worse by the setting of Madison Square Garden – the building where Duke plays every year – for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
