sports
U.S. Men's Soccer Team Shares $12.8 Million World Cup Prize with Women's Team After Belgium Loss
The U.S. men's national soccer team lost to Belgium in the first elimination round of the 2026 World Cup. Under a collective bargaining agreement, the team must divide most of its $16 million prize pot with the women's team.
Jul 12, 7:50 PM·1m read1 source
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The U.S. men's national soccer team lost to Belgium in the first elimination round of the 2026 World Cup on or before July 6. ZeroHedge reported that President Donald Trump became personally involved in a red-card dispute during the match.
The team is entitled to a $16 million prize pot. Under the collective bargaining agreement, 20 percent of that amount goes to the U.S. Men's Soccer organization, leaving $12.8 million to be split evenly between the men's and women's player pools.
Each pool receives $6.4 million. With 26-person rosters on both sides, each player stands to receive an estimated $246,153. Women's team payouts will remain in escrow because the roster for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil has not been finalized.
The men's loss to Belgium drew a U.S. television audience exceeding 45 million viewers. The highest-rated U.S. women's World Cup game, the 2015 final, peaked at 26.7 million viewers.
