# The GOALS Act: What It Actually Does

This bill is about making sure the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and Men's National Soccer Team get paid equally. Right now, the women's team makes significantly less money than the men's team, even though they've been more successful in international competition. The bill uses federal funding as leverage to force change—it says the government won't spend any money to support the 2026 World Cup (which the U.S. is hosting) unless the U.S. Soccer Federation agrees to pay both teams equitably.

The practical impact is straightforward: if this bill becomes law, the U.S. Soccer Federation would need to agree to equal pay before the government could fund things like infrastructure improvements for host cities, support for state and local agencies involved in hosting the tournament, or any other federal money that might go toward making the World Cup happen. This puts real pressure on the soccer federation to negotiate a pay deal that treats male and female players the same.

For most Americans, this won't directly affect their daily lives, but it could influence how the 2026 World Cup gets organized and funded in the U.S. For soccer players and fans, it's about fairness—the bill essentially says that if we're going to use taxpayer money to support a major sporting event, the athletes competing for our country should be treated equally regardless of gender. The bill doesn't force the soccer federation to do anything, but it does make federal funding conditional on them making that choice themselves.

GOALS Act

Matsui, Doris O.

Give Our Athletes Level Salaries Act or the GOALS Act This bill prohibits the use of funds for the 2026 World Cup until the U.S. Soccer Federation agrees to provide equitable pay to the members of the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Men's National Team.