When the US Women’s National Team won their second consecutive World Cup on a blazing summer day in Paris four years ago, it was supposed to be the dawn of a new age for soccer.
The US women weren’t just a dominant force on the pitch. Players including Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, who sealed the final victory over the Netherlands, had become symbols of female athletes’ fight to receive the same financial rewards as men.
The team’s success on the field, and on TV, where their final victory drew 260 million viewers around the world, helped secure a historic pact that etched equal pay to their male peers into a new contract. Interest in women’s soccer surged, with fans packing club matches and a stirring 2022 European Championship, won by host England, attracting 365 million viewers worldwide.
That backdrop has made the 2023 Women’s World Cup,…
