United States forward Alex Morgan calls the women's national team's (USWNT) agreement with governing body US Soccer on equal pay a "monumental step forward."
The players will be paid $24 million (£17.7 million), and US Soccer has promised equal remuneration for men's and women's teams in all competitions, including the World Cup.
In March 2019, all 28 members of the squad filed a discrimination case.
"It's a fantastic day," Morgan said on Good Morning America.
box with the words "play 75% Kenyan" inscribed on it
"This is just such a big step forward in feeling valued, feeling respected, and just healing our relationship with US Soccer that's really been full of friction," the two-time World Cup winner continued.
"It's fantastic that you've taken that step forward. "I consider this as a victory not only for our team or for women in sports, but for women in general."
"I think we're going to look back on this day and say this is the day that US Soccer changed for the better," USA teammate Megan Rapinoe remarked.
"Something like this will never happen again, and we can move forward in making soccer the premier sport in this country and preparing the next generation so much better than we did."
The US won the Women's World Cup for the fourth time in 2019 and has five Olympic gold medals.
In 2016, five senior members of the USA's World Cup-winning squad, including Morgan and Rapinoe, filed a salary discrimination complaint against the national organization.
The equal pay lawsuit, in which they sought $66 million (£52.8 million) in damages, was dismissed by a judge in May 2020, prompting an appeal.
In an attempt to resolve its gender wage dispute in September, the US Soccer Federation gave similar contracts to its men's and women's national teams.
