Women's football's $1bn boom exposes low wages and player welfare concerns

October 12, 2026 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

Women's football's $1bn boom exposes low wages and player welfare concerns

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Women's football revenue is projected to exceed $1bn by 2027, according to FIFPRO.
Financial concerns and psychological stress could push more players towards early retirement.
Low pay, insecure contracts and limited welfare support remain widespread problems.

Women's football is on course to become a billion-dollar industry by 2027, but a new global survey has exposed the financial insecurity and psychological pressure still facing professional players.

Research involving more than 800 footballers by players' union FIFPRO found that 59% of respondents cited financial reasons as a factor that could lead them to leave football early, whilst 46% identified psychological stress.

The findings highlight a growing divide between the commercial success of women's football and the conditions experienced by many of the players driving its development.

Global revenue in the women's game is projected to rise from approximately $581 million in 2024 to more than $1 billion in 2027. Yet many players continue to face low salaries, short-term contracts and inadequate support for their mental health.

Mental health concerns grow alongside football's popularity

Greater visibility has created new opportunities for women's footballers, allowing them to connect with supporters, attract sponsors and build personal brands.

However, increased exposure can also bring additional psychological demands.

Alex Culvin, FIFPRO's head of women's football, told the BBC that players were increasingly expected to maintain a public profile, partly because many could not rely on their football salaries alone.

Players are now very visible. Players are not only expected to be visible, but are obligated to be visible because of the low income to subsidise the lack of solid income they receive.

For some, social media activity and commercial partnerships have become important ways to supplement their income. This creates additional responsibilities alongside the demands of training, competing and recovering between matches.

Online harassment and abuse can make the situation more difficult, particularly as players become more accessible to supporters through digital platforms.

The FIFPRO survey found that 57% of respondents had struggled with their mental health, with half of those players reporting that their clubs had not provided support.

Although awareness of mental health has improved across professional sport, the findings suggest that access to meaningful support remains inconsistent.

Women's football revenue could surpass $1bn by 2027

The financial outlook for women's football remains positive.

According to the report, global revenue is expected to increase from $581 million in 2024 to more than $1 billion by 2027.

Growing commercial interest, investment and visibility have helped move the sport into a new phase of development.

However, rising revenue does not automatically translate into better salaries or more secure employment for every player.

The benefits of commercial growth are unevenly distributed, with leading clubs and players often enjoying better financial conditions than those competing in less established markets.

Culvin argued that the commercial case for women's football had already been demonstrated, but institutional policies and regulations needed to catch up.

The challenge now is to ensure that investment delivers better working conditions throughout the game, rather than concentrating its benefits among a small group of elite players.

Many players still lack the benefits of professional employment

One of the report's most striking findings concerns the difference between playing in a country's top division and meeting the formal definition of a professional footballer.

Under FIFA's definition, a professional player has a written contract and receives payment exceeding the expenses incurred through playing.

Despite all respondents competing for clubs in the highest division of their respective countries, not all reported having those arrangements.

The survey found that:

62% described themselves as professional players.
27% identified as semi-professional.
12% described themselves as amateur.
78% reported having a written contract.
82% said they received payments from their clubs.
57% said their payments were sufficient to cover the costs of playing football.

These findings expose a fundamental problem: competing at the highest domestic level does not necessarily mean earning enough to sustain a professional career.

Players may be expected to meet demanding training and competition schedules whilst still struggling to cover their expenses.

Without reliable income and secure employment arrangements, planning for the future becomes considerably more difficult.

Women's football salaries have tripled since 2017

Player earnings have increased significantly, but the headline figures conceal substantial disparities.

According to FIFPRO, average monthly earnings have tripled since 2017 to $2,601. However, the median monthly salary is considerably lower, at $1,669.

The distinction is important. Average earnings can be influenced by a relatively small number of highly paid players, whereas the median represents the midpoint of the salary distribution.

Average monthly salaries in women's football by region

Region	Average Monthly Earnings
North America	$6,450
Central and Western Europe	$3,982
Eastern Europe	$878
Africa	$480

Source: FIFPRO survey findings. Figures represent reported average monthly earnings by region.

The differences are considerable. Average monthly earnings in North America are more than 13 times those reported in Africa.

The report also found that average salaries in 10 Eastern European countries remained below their respective national minimum wages.

In parts of Western Europe and Asia and Oceania, average earnings were also not significantly higher than national minimum wage levels.

FIFPRO did not provide average salaries for individual leagues, as the report examined regional earnings rather than providing a country-by-country league comparison.

The figures underline why the financial health of women's football cannot be assessed solely by looking at its wealthiest competitions.

Short contracts leave players without guaranteed income

Contract security remains a major concern, even as average contract lengths have improved.

The report found that average contracts had increased from approximately 12 months in 2017 to 19 months.

Nevertheless, some players continue to work under contracts lasting just seven or nine months, leaving them without guaranteed football income for the remainder of the year.

Only two-thirds of players are paid for the whole 12 months.

There's a lot of players who are on seven-month contracts, nine-month contracts, which means that they've got to work to make up the rest of the calendar year.

The survey also found that 24% of respondents had experienced late payments during the previous two seasons, whilst 42% were not provided with a pension.

These conditions can undermine financial stability and make it harder for players to build sustainable careers.

Short contracts and inconsistent payments also raise questions about the employment protections available to athletes who face professional-level demands without receiving comparable security.

The pressure of social media adds another challenge

Social media offers women's footballers opportunities to build their reputations, connect with supporters and secure commercial partnerships.

For players whose club earnings are insufficient, these opportunities can provide an important additional source of income.

However, maintaining a public profile also takes time and exposes players to criticism, harassment and online abuse.

The pressure to remain visible can become another burden alongside training, travel, competition and recovery.

The FIFPRO findings suggest that these challenges should not be treated purely as individual problems. Clubs, leagues and governing bodies have a role in providing appropriate mental health resources and protecting players from harmful working environments.

As the sport attracts greater commercial attention, support systems need to develop alongside the expectations placed on its athletes.

Maternity regulations show that targeted changes can work

Not every finding in the report was negative.

One area of improvement concerns players who want to start a family whilst continuing their football careers.

In 2017, almost half of the respondents who were considering leaving football early cited wanting a family as a possible reason.

That figure has since fallen to 19%, with FIFPRO pointing to the maternity regulations introduced by FIFA in 2021 and subsequently updated.

Culvin said the findings demonstrated the value of targeted regulatory intervention.

The improvement suggests that formal protections can make a meaningful difference when the rules address specific challenges faced by players.

However, progress in maternity protection does not eliminate wider concerns about wages, contract security, late payments and access to mental health support.

The divide between elite stars and the rest of women's football

The growing popularity of women's football has brought attention to major competitions, prominent players and lucrative commercial agreements.

But the experiences of the sport's biggest stars do not necessarily reflect the conditions faced by the wider playing population.

You've got an industry that's very focused on the top 5% of players.

But then what you've got is the rest, which is 95% of the industry who are not paid on time, who have short contracts. They don't get paid for 12 months - they are in incredibly vulnerable and precarious environments.

This creates a divide between players who benefit directly from commercial investment and those who struggle to cover the costs of maintaining their careers.

There is also a long-term risk. If players cannot afford to remain in the sport, women's football could lose experienced professionals and make it harder for emerging talent to build sustainable careers.

Commercial success therefore needs to be accompanied by improvements in employment standards, salary reliability and access to player welfare services.

FIFPRO calls for player protection to match commercial growth

FIFPRO's position is that commercial development and player protection should progress together.

The union is calling for stronger institutional safeguards, greater accountability and more meaningful involvement of players in decisions affecting their careers.

That includes addressing insecure contracts, late payments, pension provision and gaps in mental health support.

The report presents women's football as an industry with considerable financial potential but uneven working conditions. Its projected growth is significant, yet the findings show that many players have not received the security that commercial expansion might be expected to bring.

What we're saying is enough is enough and the industry needs to react to the players' needs and centralise the players' voice, ensure that players have a seat at the table when decisions that affect them are being made about them.

The next stage of development will require stakeholders to look beyond headline revenue figures and consider whether professional football offers sustainable careers across different countries and competitions.