In March 2019, members of the US Women’s national soccer team (USWNT) filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation, with allegations that the federation discriminated against the women’s team on the basis of sex, claiming that they were denied the same working conditions and professional development as the men’s team.

The first ever men’s World Cup was hosted in 1930, and the first ever women’s World Cup was hosted in 1991. However, the US men’s national soccer team has won a total of zero World Cups, while the women’s national soccer team has won four, most recently during the 2019 World Cup. The US men’s team did not even qualify for the men’s World Cup tournament in 2018. In recent years, the women’s team has made more profit and revenue than the men’s team has. According to the New York Times, in 2015 while the women turned a profit of $6.6 million in expenses, the men’s profit was just under $2 million.

In 2016, despite having a better game record and winning more tournaments (like the 2015 World Cup) the women’s team still was made less, including in bonuses for games won. For example, if the women’s team wins a match each player is paid a bonus of  $1,350, but if the men’s team wins a match, each player’s bonus has a possible bonus range of $6,250 to $17,625 per win according to the New York Times.

While on Good Morning America, USWNT player Christen Press said, “We want to be paid equally and that just means that when we show up to a game that we get compensated the same way that a man would for showing up for the same game.”

On May 1st 2020, a judge dismissed their equal pay disparity claims, but the team seeks to repeal.