Men’s football versus women’s football.. What do the numbers tell us?

Spain defeated England 1-0 on Sunday in the Women’s World Cup final, as the two European countries, the best in terms of sport and the two strongest domestic leagues, went head to head in the final.

The Women’s World Cup, which began in 1991, has seen nine editions so far. In contrast, 22 editions of the Men’s World Cup, which began in 1930, have been held so far.

The following is a comparison between men’s and women’s soccer throughout their history after the end of the 2023 World Cup:

• The highest prize pool for men was in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, amounting to $440 million, compared to $152 million for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023.
• The biggest prize for the men’s champion was $42 million, which was won by the Argentine team that won the Qatar World Cup 2022, compared to $10.5 million won by the Spanish team that won the Women’s World Cup 2023.
• The largest crowd attendance for men was in the Uruguay-Brazil match in the 1950 World Cup Final at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, and it ranged between 199,000 and 205,000 fans, compared to 75,784 fans who attended the women’s match, and it was in the 2023 World Cup final between England and Spain.
• The highest annual income player is Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, with more than $ 130 million in 2023, compared to the US women’s team duo Alex Morgan and Megan Rapino, with profits amounting to $ 7 million each this year as well, according to the American Forbes magazine.
• The highest revenue achieved by a men’s team was earned by Manchester City, with revenues amounting to 731 million euros in the 2021-2022 season, compared to $ 7.7 million for the Barcelona women’s team, which it achieved in the same season.
• The most expensive deal for players was the transfer of Brazilian star Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for $ 222 million in 2017, and England player Kira Walsh moved from Manchester City to Barcelona in 2022 for $ 446,110.