FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will start this week in New Zealand and Australia (Thursday, July 20). Women’s soccer has been growing in popularity and infrastructure in recent years, thanks to efforts from the FIFA, federations and clubs. However, there’s still a huge disparity when it comes to salaries. Not only between women and men, but also between countries and leagues.
The upcoming Women’s World Cup is expected to be one of the best tournaments yet, as there is more parity between teams, as well as the interest from fans all over the world. England, Netherlands, France or Spain are some of the biggest threats to dispute the US Women’s National Team crown.
But while many players from other countries are gaining worldwide recognition, such as Alexia Putellas or Wendie Renard, the amount of money the players receive for their work is still somewhat obscure for curious fans. So, how much do women players earn in soccer all over the world? Let’s take a look at the numbers.
What is the average salary of a female soccer player?
As we said before, the average salary of a woman soccer player will depend on the country and the league. Unlike men’s soccer, there are still several countries that don’t have a professional soccer league for women, especially in Latin America, Africa and Asia. However, we do have numbers for the most known leagues.
In the US, per 18.com, the average salary in the NWSL is $54,000 per year, which is a significant raise as the maximum salary in 2020 was $50,000. Now, the minimum wage is $35,000 and the maximum is $75,000 (without allocation money) per year.
Meanwhile, according to the BBC, in the English Women’s Super League, the average salary is £47,000 a year ($61,485). The minimum salary is estimated as low as £20,000 per year. On the other hand, in Spain’s Liga F, which was recently professionalized, the minimum salary per year is €16,000 ($18,000 approximately); and the average salary is €40,000 per The Objective.
The average salary of professional female footballers in France is 2,494 euros gross, according to the French Football Federation, but there are significant disparities between clubs, per Paris Sport Management School. On the other hand, when talking about countries such as Argentina, the minimum salary for women is around $281 per month.
When it comes to Federations, which are the ones who provide players during the World Cup, there is more parity. According to Football.London, the Federations of England, Brazil, Australia and Norway have agreements to pay the same to men and women, as well as the United States (after a long legal dispute between USWNT players and the Federation).