England women to receive shocking amount if they win Rugby World Cup

Following their commanding 35-17 triumph over France in the Women's World Cup semi-finals, England have secured their spot in the 2025 tournament's grand finale. Hannah Botterman delivered an outstanding display, claiming three turnovers during the opening 40 minutes alone, before creating the opportunity for teammate Ellie Kildunne to cross the whitewash.

When questioned about potential celebrations, she simply responded, "No", before emphasising that they hadn't achieved anything yet. Standing between them and glory is Canada, who overcame the Black Ferns 34-19 in their semi-final clash. Beyond the honour of claiming world champion status, there's a substantial financial reward awaiting the Red Roses should they emerge victorious.

Back in 2023, England's leading players penned three-year agreements which naturally encompassed this year's World Cup campaign. A total of 32 players received contracts during that period.

This represented two additional contracts compared to the preceding season and also featured transition agreements. Both Botterman and Kildunne were amongst those selected for the senior arrangements two years previously, which are set to conclude next year.

Alongside extending the duration of contracts and increasing their quantity, there are significant modifications to the following - wages, match payments, 2025 Rugby World Cup provisions and commercial plus community commitments.

The Telegraph revealed that the contracts feature five different levels, with those in the top category receiving £45,000 annually, which rose to £49,600 in July.

What prize money could England claim for World Cup victory?

Simply for earning selection for this year's World Cup, England stars pocketed £5,000 apiece - twice the amount they received previously.

An additional £15,000 windfall awaits should they claim tournament glory. Consequently, England's squad could pocket a total of £20,000 each if they triumph on Saturday.

"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?

During the 2023 World Cup in France, champions South Africa reportedly secured £5million for lifting the trophy.

The exact portion distributed to players remains undisclosed publicly (or whether they receive any share whatsoever). This represented a substantial jump from 2019's prize of approximately £300,000.

Nevertheless, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander confirmed in 2023 that Springbok stars would receive victory bonuses for their triumph.

Despite his initial comments suggesting otherwise, numerous online sources indicated £5million was on offer for the victors. "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 clarified. However, the exact figures were kept under wraps.

To put things into perspective, let's consider France. They were considered strong contenders for the tournament they hosted two years ago, but were ousted by the eventual champions South Africa in a nail-biting quarter-final match. Had they reached the final and emerged victorious, each player would have pocketed around £174,000. It's reasonable to speculate that the South African players might have received a similar amount, but this would depend on the agreements made with SA Rugby four years earlier.

England players, meanwhile, earned £100,000 each just for participating in the pool stages, with their earnings increasing as they progressed further in the tournament.