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FIFA to upgrade flights, raise prize money for Women's World Cup

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - In a concession to women's soccer, FIFA will start funding business-class flights for some of the Women's World Cup teams traveling to France for next year's tournament.

Total prize money will also "significantly increase" from the $15 million shared among 24 teams at the 2015 tournament, FIFA official Emily Shaw said Thursday at the Women In Sports Law conference.

The total sum will be confirmed by the FIFA Council, which meets Oct. 25-26 in Rwanda, she said.

FIFA has been urged to close the gap between women's and men's World Cups in a new four-year cycle of tournaments and commercial deals that begins next year.