I am new to WoSo, so if this has already been discussed (I could not find it), please delete it. There are market forces that explain why WC and WWC have such different pay out. The best argument, IMHO, for the need for equal pay even with unequal revenue is that WC has a long history of investment and media coverage. However, why segregate the FIFA's world cup in the first place? We have co-ed Olympics and all the major Tennis grand slams. There are no real technical or organizational reasons that would prevent a combined WC. WWC will eventually catch up to her big brother, and it will be great to have a global Wo sport that is big as the super ball. Combining the Cups for good would be wrong, but what about having a Celebratory WC together (150 years of Fifa) or for three Cups. A Combined CUP would mean equal pay (now), higher exposure and investment, and a massive incentive for the Wo game.
Welcome to WoSo (term specific). There is actually a legit reason to keep the players separated, and that is men (using this term specifically) are bigger and faster and stronger so there is a safety issue, at the highest level. And I say this speaking as one who, when in HS, our women's team (term specific) was technically and tactically better (my junior and senior year of HS, they were Top 25 in the nation), yet on the few occasions we played against, we ran circles around them because we were faster and stronger. But there also seem to be two different positions taken here (as I'm reading your post). First, having a mixed team. As a purely exhibition team, I think it would be fun. Imagine the mixed US v. a mixed Italy or mixed Spain. Mixed Japan v. mixed Sweden or Norway would be fun, too. How about a mixed Brasil v. a mixed France? With that said, I can't see it being anything more than an exhibition match. I know of no other team sports that have a mixed team in competition (I see tennis as pairs or individuals not a team). Second, making a combination WC is problematic for two reasons: 1 - simple logistics. Too many teams playing in too short a time span for too few fans. On top of that, it would also severely limit the hosting countries to something like 5 or 6 countries, plus maybe another 3 or 4 in a joint bid. 2 - Having a combination would inherently lessen the importance of the women's tournament. Having them separate allows women to shine on their own turf and in their own time. There is also the inherent sexism which would arise from some in the men's tournament ("Why are the women here?"). As for the prize money, I hope this happens soon, but unlikely. There are still federations who don't give the two teams equal respect (do any?), and there have been those at the highest level of FIFA being sexist towards women (recently). Still, it is great to watch. Note - I'm using the term "women" here as that is how FIFA and federations label the teams. I make this specific note as we here in the US are in the midst of a transgender v. cisgender debate on girls/women (plumbing) versus female (identify) and whether or not to allow females to play identified women's sports. This does have political overtones, but I want those reading to be clear that I am intentionally using those terms. As this has lots of baggage, I am not asking anybody to modify their terminology unless it gets to the point of harassment or bigotry (and I'll allow a long leash on that for now).
Sorry, I was talking about a co-ed Cup, not co-ed teams. Look at the Olympics; Both male and female games run parallel to each other. There is not a Men Olympics and two years after a Women Olympics. Combine both World Cup into a single event but with men and women separate Cups.
Financial burden would be substantial not only for host nation but also for travelling fans. Logistics would be a nightmare. Imagine trying to follow both your NT's that are based in different cities. WC/WWC also lives from tourists which often spend money between the games on sightseeing. Instead you would get fans packing airports and train stations trying to rebase for next match all the time. 64 teams would also meant 8 games per day during group phase - that's 12 hours in front of telly to catch them all - no thanks
If a 64-team WC/WWC was logistical viable that would mean that a 64-team WC was and then FIFA would be arranging a 64-team WC.
If you don`t want to miss the start of the next game you need at least 2 hours difference between the start times. With VAR this might be not enough. So this would mean 16 hours ahead of the TV. Imagine this for every day in 2 weeks! More likely is that women`s games would be played at the same time as men`s games and most fans would choose to watch the men`s games.
I guess the only way would be to radically change the current format. The group games would be played as away and home games, requiring an extension on the tournament dates and creating chaos in the world soccer calendar. But would be doable financially and logistically. With some fantastic games... The Round-of-16 onwards would be played in a host country (32 teams total - 16 + 16). I would like to see that in a one-off commemorative world cup.
A commemorative men's WC already exists, at least for one confederation: Conmebol is chasing the 2030 edition with a harebrained 4-country bid. Commemorative tournaments leave a bad aftertaste, too. Conmebol is still mad at Concacaf for withholding Copa America Centenario revenue. I would say that commemorative tournaments are more a cash-grab than actual competitions. Women's soccer does not need one-off competitions, where bags of cash are easily devoured by confederations. No accountability for revenue allocation to national teams. As others pointed out, a simultaneous event for men's and women's football eats into FIFA's revenue. There is no empty air-time to schedule games for both genders... FIFA already squeezes the TV calendar for its men's event.
I cannot begin to imagine how many Japanese fans would have to sacrifice group-stage matches, considering that both JPN teams must play at different venues due to separate tournament draws. Extremely cost-prohibitive.