Thembi Kgatlana celebrates with teammates after scoring Banyana Banyana’s third and winning goal during their World Cup clash against Italy at Wellington Stadium on Tuesday Thembi Kgatlana celebrates with teammates after scoring Banyana Banyana’s third and winning goal during their World Cup clash against Italy at Wellington Stadium on Tuesday. Picture: Marty Melville, AFP
By virtue of reaching the knock-out stage of the Women’s World Cup, Banyana Banyana’s bonus payments from governing body Fifa have doubled.
Had Banyana failed to advance past the first round of the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, each players in the squad would have walked away with a healthy $30,000, or R572,000 as promised by Fifa.
HEROES’ WELCOME‼️
— Minto (@Mihlalibaleka) August 2, 2023
The history making @Banyana_Banyana yet again got a heroes’ welcome at their hotel here in Wellington!
This time, they achieved the improbable - they beat #ita 3-2 to win their first #FIFAWorldCup match and qualified for the last 16 for the first time ever!! pic.twitter.com/Fu805Wb09P
However, that total almost doubled with one swing of Thembi Kgatlana’s boot, as the forward’s stoppage-time winner against Italy, sent the team in to the next round of the tournament. Should they exit the World Cup with defeat against the Netherlands in the last 16, each player will pocket around R1.14 million.
However, reaching the quarter-finals will see Banyana walking away with $90,000 (R1.71 million). This will continue to increase should they continue to advance.
Banyana players were involved in an ugly, public spat over bonus payments with mother body SAFA before the World Cup kicked off.
The conflict reached its nadir when players refused to take to the field during their warm-up match against Botswana, resulting in coach Desiree Ellis plugging the holes with players who were not part of the squad.
Before the team departed for the tournament, the Patrice Motsepe Foundation came to the rescue, pledging to top up each player’s bonus by R230,000. However, it’s not clear if this figure will also increase with the team advancing to the Round of 16.
A breakdown of the prize money allocation from FIFA:
First round: $30,000 (R572 000)
Round of 16: $60,000 (R1.14 million)
Quarter-final: $90,000 (R1.71 million)
4th place: $165,000 (R3.02 million)
3rd place: $180,000 (R3.3 million)
2nd place: $195,000: (R3.5 million)
Winners: $270,000 (R5 million)
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