With the Women's Asian Cup a matter of weeks away, the controversies surrounding the competition have already begun.
There will be no increase in the prize money, as the tournament is now the world's lowest-paying continental competition.
Footballers from the countries involved have signed an open letter calling for fairer prize money and proper consultation, but those requests have been ignored.
The men's Asian shared 14.8 million dollars in 2023, while the women's tournament remains stuck at 1.8 million.
The UEFA Women's Euros in 2025 saw an increase of 156% from 2022 in the overall prize money to $44.5 million. The 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations increased to US$3.475m, the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup allocated US$3.7m, while the 2025 Copa America Feminina awarded US$2m.
AFC responded, saying the prize money depends on commercial revenue and claims the women's game is still in a growth phase. They continued, “At this stage, the revenue generated by the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is still growing, and we aim to reach a sustainable point where prize money increases are backed by commercial success. We are actively working to close this gap by enhancing the visibility and marketability of the women’s game.”
In 2023, Matildas merchandise sales were reportedly at a two-to-one ratio compared to the Socceroos. Sponsorship for the teams increased to over AU$20 million, supported by major deals like CommBank.
Based on recent financial reports (covering 2023–2024), the Australian women's football team (the Matildas) has surpassed the men's team (the Socceroos) in generating commercial revenue and merchandise sales for Football Australia, primarily driven by their popularity and success during the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The tournament is to be hosted in Australia, where it will celebrate its 50th anniversary as the world's oldest women's national team competition. Still, it is falling behind as a tournament. It only introduced prize money in 2022, distributing money among the nations that finished in the top four. While for the women's Euros, it was stated that the 2009 edition was the first year prize money was given to all finalists, that's all the countries involved, not just the top four.
While these are different competitions with different revenues and interests, the stark difference is unexplainable.
FIFPRO says aworld-classs tournament should not ask players to wait for respect while other regions invest right now. A survey conducted by the global players’ union Fifpro after the 2022 edition revealed 87% of players said improvements to pay and prize money were needed.
Shoko Tsuji, secretary general of Fifpro Asia/Oceania, was critical of AFC’s justification.
“The AFC’s statement talks about long-term development and ‘future editions’ … but Australia is hosting this tournament now, and a world-class event can’t ask players to wait for future improvements, particularly when other regions are investing at a significant pace,” Tsuji said.
“Players across Asia have already shown the immense potential of the women’s game when given a platform. What’s more, our research indicates this year’s tournament is set to be the biggest Women’s Asian Cup ever from a commercial perspective.
“We believe the tournament should be treated with the respect its stature deserves, including respect for the players who make it possible.”
The decision sits awkwardly alongside the AFC’s newest women’s football competition, the Women’s Asian Champions League. Just two years in, the club tournament had a total prize pool of US$1.5m, split between the winner and runner-up. Every other team was given US$100,000 for reaching the group stage, with more awarded for each round they progressed.
“The AFC acknowledges the importance of increasing the prize money of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup participating teams, while noting that the prize money for the upcoming edition in Australia remains consistent with previous editions,” an AFC spokesperson said.
The tournament is crucial because it's part of the qualification process for the 2027 Women's World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
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