Shocking figures reveal England Women's rugby prize money after World Cup win

England were crowned Women's Rugby World Cup champions following their commanding 33-13 victory over Canada in the final. The Red Roses overcame Canada before a record-breaking women's rugby attendance of 81,885 at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, claiming their third World Cup triumph.

"It means everything," England's defence coach Sarah Hunter told BBC One. "It's a moment in time for the women's game. For our girls to experience being world champions in front of an amazing ground is incredible. I'm just immensely proud of them.

"Everyone spoke about Canada's threat but we just stuck to our process. We denied them access at all points. I will forever be proud of them for what they've done today." A substantial financial bonus is now secured for the Red Roses, and below is a look at the prize money details.

What will England earn for their World Cup triumph?

Merely by securing their place in this year's World Cup squad, England's women earned £5,000 each - double their previous payment. A further £15,000 bonus is anticipated and therefore, England's players could receive a combined total of £20,000.

"The new contracts are a significant development and a mark of the advancement in the women's game since they were first awarded," Rugby Football Union (RFU) executive director of performance Conor O'Shea said in 2023. "We have led the way with the introduction of contracts, as well as provision such as the ground-breaking maternity policy introduced earlier this year for our female athletes."

What about the men's earnings?

In the 2023 World Cup in France, victorious South Africa allegedly pocketed £5million for clinching the tournament. The precise amount handed to players hasn't been revealed publicly (or indeed whether they received any portion at all).

This marked a dramatic increase from 2019's prize fund of roughly £300,000. However, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander confirmed in 2023 that Springbok squad members would collect victory bonuses following their success.

Despite his earlier remarks suggesting the contrary, multiple online sources suggested that £5million was available for the champions. "World Rugby does not give prize money for the trophy, but we have win bonuses we planned four years in advance and they are taken care of by that. Our players receive prize money which we plan for four years in advance," he explained.

Nevertheless, the bonuses weren't specifically disclosed. For comparison purposes, however, let's examine France.

Regarded as possible champions of the tournament they staged two years ago, they were eliminated by eventual victors South Africa in a captivating quarter-final clash. If they had made it to the final and emerged victorious, each player would have pocketed approximately £174,000.

It's reasonable to speculate that South African players might have received a similar amount, but this would depend on SA Rugby and the bonus agreements made four years earlier. On the other hand, England's players bagged £100,000 each just for participating in the pool stages, with the amount increasing as they advanced further in the tournament.