How much do women footballers get paid? Female salaries and prize money explained as 2023 World Cup continues

It’s time for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with England looking to add yet another trophy to their growing collection which now includes a Euros and Finalissima Cup.

This has arguably been the most highly anticipated women’s football tournament ever and could well see some of the biggest audiences both attending the fixtures and watching from home.

However, despite the growing advances in the sport, the financial aspect of the game is still exceptionally far behind their male counterparts.

As the Lionesses look to become World champions, whilst also taking home their highest paycheck yet, here is all you need to know about what the average salary is of your favourite female footballers...

Average salaries of female footballers

Salaries of female footballers varies tremendously throughout the world but in the Women’s Super League, the top league in England, reports suggest that an average WSL player will take home between £25,000 to £27,000 a year, though some of the bigger names earn much more.

SportBible reported that the former USA star Carli Lloyd was earning more than £432,000 a year before she retired last year and now it’s Chelsea and Australia’s Sam Kerr who is the highest earning player in the women’s game, taking home more than £400,000 a year, according to both Football London and The Metro.

In comparison, the PFSA says that the average wage of a Premier League footballer is just over £60,000 a week, more than £3 million a year, and Championship wages are around £4,000/week (or £200,000 a year).

National team salaries

A number of countries pay their men’s and women’s teams the same amount, including England, Brazil, Australia and Norway. Although the Lionesses are thought to earn around £2,000 per match, many choose to donate their match fees to charity.

The FA said: “The FA pays its women’s players exactly the same as their male counterparts for representing England, both in terms of match fees and match bonuses. This parity has been in place since January 2020.’

How much will England get at Women’s World Cup 2023?

The FIFA Congress announced that the 2023 Women’s World Cup prize money would be increased up to $110 million (£84m). This figure has increased significantly from the $30 million that was seen in 2019 but that is still considerably less than what has been seen at the men’s World Cup.

The extra finance means there will be an additional $40 million for team preparation money and for the clubs who release players.

Prize money breakdown:

• Winners: $4 million
• Runners-up: £2.6 million
• Third place: $2 million
• Fourth place: $1.6 million
• 5th-8th place: $1.45 million
• 9th-16th place: $1 million
• 17th-24th place: $750,000

To find out more on how much each team will earn from the Women’s World Cup, head to our article on the FIFA 2023 World Cup prize money.

Highest earners in women’s football

According to FootballTransfers, here are the top earners in female footballers, and their approximate salaries:

1. Sam Kerr, Chelsea - £400k
2. Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave - £375k
3. Megan Rapinoe, OL Reign - £373k
4. Julie Ertz, Angel City - £359k
5. Ada Hegerberg, Lyon - £355k
6. Marta, Orlando Pride - £343k
7. Amandine Henry, Angel City - £320k
8. Wendie Renard, Lyon - £31k
9. Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns - £308k
10. Trinity Rodman, Washington City - £227k