The US men's win over Iran gave America's women's team a bigger payout than its last 2 World Cup titles combined

• The US Men's National Team is through to the knockout round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
• The men's success will give the women's team a massive payday thanks to their equal pay agreement.

The US Men's National Soccer Team is headed to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in nearly a decade.

But from thousands of miles away, the US women's players also scored a big win.

Thanks to the national teams' recently signed collectively bargaining agreement (CBA) that brought an end to the USWNT's years-long fight for equal pay, the women's players will earn a historic payday as a result of the men's success in Qatar. As of this year, the US men's and women's teams have begun pooling their FIFA prize money and splitting it evenly.

As sportswriter Lindsay Gibbs laid out in her recent "Power Plays" newsletter, the USWNT is set to receive at least $6.5 million collectively before the US Soccer Federation (USSF) takes its 10% cut of total winnings. Just by advancing past the group stage of this year's tournament, the men's team guaranteed the women's players a bigger payout than they received for winning both the 2015 and 2019 Women's World Cups.

Yes, you read that correctly.

In 2015, FIFA paid the Women's World Cup champion, the United States, $2 million for their efforts in Canada. Four years later, when the Stars and Stripes beat the Netherlands in France to defend their crown, the winners' pot doubled to $4 million — bringing their total prize money to $6 million over the two tournaments, or $500,000 less than what they earned with the USMNT's crucial win against Iran on Tuesday.

This money would have made all the difference for the stars of past US women's teams, two-time World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brandi Chastain told Insider. While discussing her recent collaboration with Frito-Lay to increase equity in the sport she loves, the US soccer legend mused that sharing part of the men's pie during her illustrious career could've led to her "not having to have a side hustle perhaps — not having to think about the three other jobs I have coaching or working at the coffee shop."

"The number one thing is we can move forward," Chastain said. "Now I can play soccer. I can be a professional. I think that's the simplest answer on the women's side."

The sum afforded to the women's team will only rise further with each round the US men manage to advance in this year's tournament. Should the team beat the Netherlands on Saturday to move on to the quarterfinals, the USWNT's payout would increase to $8.5 million.

That's already more prize money than the US women have taken home for all four of their World Cup victories combined — a discrepancy attributable to FIFA's lopsided prize pools between men's and women's events.

"Collectively, as US soccer, I think it's a really proud day," Chastain said. "We looked at our programming across the board, and we told all of the players that you're equally important to us, and that what you do matters, and we are supporting you."

If the USMNT finishes third or fourth in Qatar, the women's players will earn $13.5 and $12.5 million, respectively. Second place yields a $15 million payout, and should the men's side pull off the improbable and win it all for the first time in its history, the total prize money would be $42 million — which would give the USWNT a share worth a whopping $21 million.

If the women three-peat at the 2023 World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand, they'll earn $4 million total — $2 million for themselves and $2 million for the men's side.

"I'll tell you, the men's team has always been supportive of the women's team, and likewise, the women's team has always been supportive of the men's team," Chastain said. "And I'm really grateful that we can stop having the conversation of who's better. We don't have to have that conversation anymore.

"Now what we can say is look at our men's team celebrating going through to the knockout stages of the World Cup and making all of us so proud with their heroic effort to make it to that stage," she added.