Argentina’s soccer association announced Saturday that the national women’s league will be granted professional status, marking a milestone in a country that is home to Lionel Messi and some of the world’s greatest players but still views soccer as largely a men’s game.

At a press conference on the outskirts of the capital of Buenos Aires, the association said that each of the 16 clubs of the women’s top division must now have at least eight professional contracts with female players. The contracts must also mirror those of the professional men’s league.