New Delhi: FIFA’s annual assessment of the women’s game has brought to light a significant disparity in player compensation. According to the report, the average annual salary for a female professional footballer globally is $10,900. However, this average is considerably inflated by the substantial earnings of a small number of top-tier players, masking the lower financial realities faced by the majority.
The teams that have been designated in Tier 1 by FIFA include 41 clubs from 16 countries with an average salary ranging around $24,030 although the top 16 clubs pay an average gross salary of over $50,000 according to the statement released by the Setting the Pace, FIFA Benchmarking report on Women’s football which was released on Monday.
The highest of those salaries is around $120,000 and also the Tier 1 clubs featured the longest player’s contract commonly ranging between two to three years. The average gross salary at Tier 2 and 3 clubs was $4,361 and $2,805 respectively while Tier 3 clubs most likely offered just three months contracts.
The report read, “ There is a need for players of a certain standard to earn a reliable and sufficient income solely from playing, reducing their dependence on secondary sources of income and allowing them to dedicate the time required to play at a higher level.”
Putting the women’s game in focus 🔎
The FIFA Women’s Football Benchmarking Report provides cutting-edge analysis of the state of play at 669 clubs across 86 leagues around the world.
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) March 17, 2025
Areas of concerns
The report not only highlighted how longer contracts enable players to commit to a club and location, providing them with stability to fully focus on their footballing careers but also brought attention to attendance figures as a major area of concern.
Last year, Arsenal hosted Manchester United in front of a Women’s Super League record 60,160 people at Emirates Stadium. Tier 1 clubs had an average of 1,713 fans while Tiers 2 and 3 had 480 and 380, respectively.
Arsenal was one of the 23% of clubs that played some matches at a stadium other than their home venue with five home league games at the Emirates and the rest at Meadow Park which has 1,700 seats and a total capacity of 4,500.
The report said, “For clubs in Tier 1, the average attendance at the other stadium was typically double that at the regular stadium, indicating that the sport has the ability to attract larger audiences on occasion.”
Not just that women are also under-representation in coaching roles with just 22% of head coaches across all tiers being female. However, the less concerned area for now is officiating positions as there is more gender equality among officials, with 42% of referees being female, ranging from 57% in Tier 1 competitions to 25% in Tiers 2 and 3.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the reports help clubs, stakeholders, and leagues gain a better understanding of the situation and work on the factors that drive success. He said, “The strides made in recent years have been remarkable, but there is still more work to be done to unlock its full potential.”
How survey was conducted?
FIFA sent surveys for the Setting the Pace report to 135 leagues and 1,518 clubs with a total of 677 clubs in 90 leagues responding. The three tiers were determined by factors such as whether the league had a club and licensing system, the number of a league’s players that featured in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and a member association’s total budget for women’s football.
FIFA’s latest report on women’s football reveals key insights into salaries and contracts. The report also highlights challenges and growth areas in the women’s football. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
