How Much Money Women Soccer Players Make
When it comes to pay parity, women soccer players have had to fight as hard off the field as they have on it—and there's still a lot of work to do in terms of how much money women soccer players make.
According to a new CNN report, globally, most women soccer players at the FIFA World Cup make 25 cents to men's soccer players' dollars in the tournament. What's even more shocking to many is that sum is actually an improvement over the mere eight cents that women used to average for every dollar men's soccer players made in 2019.
In June, FIFA announced that the Women's World Cup prize money would be worth a record $110 million, and $49 million of that would (finally) go to individual players. (The remaining $42 million would go to participating federations, who would then decide on their own how much, if any, would be doled out to players of their choice.)
Find out how much money women soccer players make now, including which players have the highest salaries.
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How much do women soccer players make?
Historically and globally, women soccer players don't actually make a big salary.
According to a 2020 FIFPRO report, the highest paid women's soccer players (in the U.S. and France) make an average salary of $250,000 annually; some players in other countries may make less than $600 per month. As such, many women soccer players reportedly are only able to play when they're on leave from day jobs that they take to sustain themselves financially—which in itself likely puts them at a significant disadvantage compared to their higher paid counterparts. This is likely in part because many federations don't have regulations for players' minimum wages.
In terms of the United States Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT), they had to fight tooth and nail for years to shrink the pay gap between them and the U.S. Men's national team—despite the women's team bringing in sharply more revenue than the men's team ever did. In 2022, the U.S. Soccer Federation agreed to a $24 million settlement with the USWNT, who sued under the Equal Pay Act in 2019. Reuters reported that out of that settlement, $22 million was to be evenly distributed among the USWNT's roster (30 players), with $2 million earmarked for charitable causes for women's and girls' soccer, as well as post-soccer career funds.
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Who is the highest paid female soccer player?
Out of the 15 highest-paid women's soccer players at the 2023 World Cup, 11 of them are from the U.S. Women's Soccer team. The highest-paid women's soccer player as of this writing is Alex Morgan, who makes a $7.1 million salary per year.
Rounding out the top three: Megan Rapinoe comes in at a close second to Morgan, making $7 million annually, followed by Spain's Alexia Putellas with $4 million per year.
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How much do women's World Cup players get paid?
Women's World Cup players salary depends on their federation and how far they make it in the tournament. That said, every player is guaranteed $30,000 just for participating, with winners making $270,000 each at the tournament's end.
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How much does a professional women's soccer player make a month?
A professional women's soccer player's monthly income depends on her federation. Lower-paid players on some federations may make less than $600 every month, while the highest-paid players in women's soccer can make nearly $21,000 monthly.
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