Last October, FIFA announced the 2018 men’s World Cup would dole out $400 million in prize money. This October, FIFA announced the 2019 women's World Cup prize money would also increase its prize money substantially — but not nearly enough.
From the 2014 to the 2018 World Cups, FIFA increased the men’s payouts by $42 million to a cool $400 million, with France receiving $38 million as World Cup champion.
FIFA launched its first-ever global strategy for women's soccer on Tuesday. It outlined three objectives for the game and five strategies to reach those goals. Hidden in each is the real reason FIFA is putting an emphasis on women's soccer.
We applaud any effort on the part of FIFA to grow the women’s game. It’s much needed from an organization that for years was run by a man whose only idea for increasing interest in women's soccer was to have the participants wear shorter, tighter pants.
Chivas Guadalajara is going to have a new look come the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and we’re not talking about the absence of the man who led the team to the Concacaf Champions League title (Matías Almeyda was actually named head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes on Monday). According to the latest leaks, Chivas will debut a new jersey for its December quarterfinal matchup against the AFC Champions League winner (one of Kashima Antlers, Suwon Bluewings, Al-Sadd or Persepolis).
The 30 nominees for the 2018 Ballon d’Or award were released today by France Football, and although The Best FIFA Football Awards got tongue’s wagging back on Sept. 24, the gala for the sport’s most prestigious individual prize is expected to follow in a similar vein. (Read: Luka Modric will win, denying Cristiano Ronaldo a third straight triumph.)
For the first time ever, the gala for the Ballon d’Or will also include a presentation for the inaugural awarding of the Kopa Trophy — a prize given to the world's best under 21 player, so really just another Golden Boy because we really need more individual prizes in this sport, don’t we?
Regardless, the 10 finalists for the prize include:
In news that will surprise no one, Qatar is still exploiting migrant workers in the build up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Qatar has not done enough to reform its “kafala” system, through which employees are bound to single employers, often to abusive ends, according to a recent report from Amnesty International.
As captains of their respective national teams, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were given votes in deciding The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018. It’s an award that the two have dominated — in it’s various guises — ever since Kaka was named FIFA World Player of the Year back in 2007 (Messi finished second and Ronaldo third that year).