Banyana players who make World Cup cut in line for at least R570k FIFA pay day | Sport

Banyana Banyana players celebrate after winning the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (@CAFWomen)

• Banyana Banyana players who compete at the Women’s World Cup next month will receive individual bonuses from FIFA.
• Should the South Africans make it past the group stages, these payouts will increase.
• SAFA is also set to benefit as FIFA announced that each federation would receive a payout from the overall World Cup prize money coffers.  

The 23 Banyana Banyana players who make the cut for next month’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup cut will have 572 000 reasons to be happy.

The world footballing governing body confirmed on Wednesday that each player who goes to the tournament, in New Zealand and Australia from 20 July to 20 August, will receive $30 000 (R572 000) as part of the tournament’s overall prize pool of over $110 million.

The Guardian and Idiskitimes reported that FIFA decided to pay players individually for their World Cup time, with their respective clubs also getting payments for players who are on World Cup duty.

The R572 000 per player is for teams who don’t advance past the first round.

READ: Women’s World Cup: Coach Desiree Ellis names 36-member Banyana Banyana preliminary squad

However, should Desiree Ellis’s charges navigate their way through a tough Group G that contains Sweden, Italy, and Argentina, the player’s individual prize money will increase to $60 000 (R1.14 million) for reaching the round of 16.

If Banyana players, who are the current Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions, do what is currently the unthinkable and reach the last eight, they will be looking at a healthy $90 000 (R1.71 million).

The winning team will see its players get an individual $270 000 (R5.14 million), the runner’s up $195 000 (R3.71 million), with third and fourth place getting $180 000 (R3.43 million) and $165 000 (R3.14 million) respectively.

The South African Football Association will also strike a healthy jackpot for Banyana’s World Cup participation, with the federation set to receive $1.56 million (R30 million) for group stage participation, which is separate from the bonuses to be paid to the players.

Should Banyana advance to the round of 16, that figure will move to $1.87 million (R35.6 million), with the winning federation getting $4.29 million (R81.7 million).

Ellis has selected a preliminary 36-member squad that will attend a training camp in Johannesburg next week.