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On the competitive playing field, the Matildas and Japan might be fierce adversaries, but off the pitch, they’ve united in voicing their discontent with the Asian Football Confederation’s prize distribution for the Women’s Asian Cup.
The Women’s Asian Cup currently holds the unfortunate distinction of being the lowest-paying continental tournament globally, with a prize pool of just $US1.8 million (approximately $A2.62 million) for its latest edition in Australia.
This modest sum mirrors the amount offered at the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, highlighting a concerning lack of progress in financial incentives for female athletes in the region.
In stark contrast, the men’s Asian Cup in 2023 boasted a substantial total prize pool of $14.8 million ($A21.54 million), with each participating nation receiving a base participation fee of $200,000 ($A291,000), underscoring a glaring disparity.
This disparity has struck a nerve with the Matildas and their Asian counterparts, especially in light of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, which was heralded as highly successful, further emphasizing the need for equitable financial recognition in women’s sports.
Japan were crowned winners after defeating Australia 1-0 in the March 21 final in front of 74,397 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
In total, a record 355,528 fans attended matches across Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney — making the 2026 tournament the most attended Women’s Asian Cup in history.
But the prize money was a pittance compared to the men’s tournament.
Players were quietly seething at the low pay but largely chose to remain silent during the tournament so they could focus on achieving on-field success.
With the tournament now in the rear-view mirror, a statement on behalf of the Matildas and Japanese players was released on Thursday evening to call out the lack of prize money and the ongoing inequality.
“Despite the success of this tournament, it remains the lowest-paying continental tournament in the world and inequality between the men’s and women’s game remains,” the statement read.
“Our pre-tournament invitation to the AFC to work together on equal prize money, a guaranteed share to all players, and to co-develop a lasting legacy has so far been ignored.”
Although nothing has been locked in as yet, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has previously pledged equal prize money for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Given the resources available to women’s football in some parts of Asia remains a huge struggle, it’s thought equal prize money for future Women’s Asian Cups would help massively boost standards.
“Equal prize money would be transformational for all players and football communities across Asia,” the joint statement from Australia and Japan said.
“Equal prize money would help to raise standards at all levels of the game across our region.
“Equality benefits players in the short term, but football in the long term.
“As we look forward, we expect FIFA to honour its pledge of equal prize money for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and we will continue to fight for equality and respect for women players across our region.”
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