There are differences between women’s and men’s football. No one denies that.
But football is not just about muscle, speed, and power. Football is also about labor, discipline, and the art of giving up parts of life. And this is exactly where the numbers begin to speak.
According to FIFA’s 2025 report, the average annual income of a female footballer worldwide is $10,900. Yes, you read that correctly. Per year.
Five days of training a week. Weekend away matches. Risk of injury, performance pressure, contractual uncertainty. The return: not even eleven thousand dollars.
The same report also states this: In lower-tier leagues, this figure drops to $2,800–$4,300. If this is not football, what is it? If this is not professionalism, then what is?
According to FIFA’s 2025 report, the average annual income of a female footballer worldwide is $10,900.
Europe: Bright Lights, Deep Shadows
Women’s football in Europe is growing. There is no doubt about that.
In the English Women’s Super League, annual salaries have reached £30,000–£250,000. France, Germany, and Spain are moving in a similar upward direction. But let’s not overlook a small detail: These numbers apply to the elite top 10%.
In the same leagues, hundreds of female footballers are still on part-time contracts, working second jobs to survive, stepping onto the pitch without health insurance.
The total prize pool for the UEFA Women’s European Championship is around €41 million. For the men’s European Championship, it exceeds €300 million.
Same continent. Same football. But a sixfold difference.
United States: Become World Champion, Then Go to Court
The U.S. Women’s National Team. They win trophies. They fill stadiums. They are the showcase of world football. Yet for years, they had to go to court just to receive equal pay with the men’s national team.
Total prize money at the 2019 Women’s World Cup: $30 million. At the 2018 Men’s World Cup: $400 million. This gap cannot be explained by success. It can only be explained by the system.
Yes, in the NWSL, star players can earn $200,000–$400,000. But even this does not come close to the average level of men’s football.
Africa: Where the Numbers Fall Silent
The real silence is in Africa.
FIFA data shows that in many African leagues, the majority of female footballers have short-term contracts, no health insurance, no maternity leave, no social security. So before talking about salaries, we are looking at a picture where human rights should be discussed first.
There, a female footballer is not just an athlete; she is a worker trying to survive.
There, a female footballer is not just an athlete; she is a worker trying to survive.
On the Phrase “It Doesn’t Generate Revenue”
They say women’s football does not generate revenue. But the real question is this: Does it not generate revenue, or is it simply not allowed to?
Why is it excluded from broadcasting packages? Why are sponsorships not created? Why is there no marketing? And then turning around and saying, “See, no one watches,” is presenting the result as the cause.
This is not economics. This is a conscious choice.
This is Not a Salary Article
This article is not just about money. This article is about the woman who gives the same effort but earns less, the woman who shows the same professionalism but is labeled amateur, the woman who steps onto the same pitch but is forced to dream smaller.
Female footballers are not asking for more. They are simply saying: “Let our labor not be a footnote in the numbers.”
Final Word
Women’s football is growing. But it is still growing by resisting. And let us not forget: If the value of a sport is measured only by the money it generates, then the problem is not football it is conscience.
Running on the same pitch and living with different numbers has never fit any era or any sense of justice.