The new edition of the European Championship – Euro 2022 will be hosted by England and UEFA has announced that prize money will be doubled as Europe’s elite women’s nations compete for gold.
England will host the most lucrative Women’s European Championship yet following the UEFA announcement that the prize money for the Euro 2022 football tournament would be multiplied. €16 million prize fund for next year’s showpiece event would be increased from the €8 million offered at Euro 2017, that was the event’s previous edition, announced the governing body of European football.
At a meeting in Chisinau, Moldova, UEFA’s executive committee approved the “substantial increase.” On Thursday, UEFA said in a statement, “The financial distribution will include increased guaranteed amounts and performance-based bonuses for the group stage.” It also stated that European clubs whose players participated in the tournament would be financially compensated for the release of their stars, with €4.5 million set aside for this purpose.
UEFA added: “The increases in financial distributions and introduction of a club benefits programme are key strategic initiatives of UEFA’s women’s football strategy, TimeForAction, ensuring that more money than ever before is distributed across the women’s game.” The Euro 2017 Championship was triumphed by the Netherlands defeating Denmark in the final in Enschede.
UEFA’s move comes as FIFA considers holding a Women’s World Cup every two years, a concept that England’s new head coach Sarina Wiegman described this week as “not very good for the players, for their welfare.” The prize fund for the men’s Euro 2020 tournament was around €330 million, according to reports. There is still a significant disparity in financial rewards between men’s and women’s elite levels, despite UEFA’s increased investment.
