PARIS — The United States Soccer Federation and the 28 women’s national team players suing it for gender discrimination have agreed to begin a mediation process, representatives of both sides confirmed Friday night.

The mediation is to begin as soon as possible after the women complete play in the Women’s World Cup, currently underway in France. The agreement may be the first sign that the long-running dispute between the players and the federation can be resolved outside federal court.

The agreement was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The 28 players — including stars like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd — sued U.S. Soccer in federal court in Los Angeles in March. Their complaint accused the federation, which governs soccer in the United States and runs the country’s national teams, of pay discrimination, as well as discrimination related to the players’ medical treatment, their working conditions and even the surface they play on during matches.

The federation’s “ongoing policies and practices of intentional gender discrimination extend beyond pay and into nearly every aspect of plaintiffs’ and similarly situated WNT players’ work conditions,” the complaint said.