Fifpro survey finds billion‑dollar growth but widespread low pay and insecurity in women's football
Fifpro published a global survey of more than 800 footballers on 12 October 2026 reporting that women's football is on course to become a billion‑dollar industry while many professional players continue to earn low wages, work on insecure contracts and experience rising psychological stress. The union's report projects global revenue rising from about $581m (£439m) in 2024 to over $1bn (£756m) in 2027.
The survey asked players why they might leave football early and found 59% cited financial reasons and 46% cited psychological stress. Alex Culvin, head of women's football at Fifpro, said increasing public exposure, financial insecurity and inadequate support systems contributed to pressure on players. "Players are now very visible," she said. "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." Culvin added that many players reported they did not have adequate mental‑health support: "Players also reported, whilst having a higher psychological stress, that they didn't have the support they needed in a mental health sense, either at the club or internationally."
On questions of professional status, 62% of respondents described themselves as professional, 27% as semi‑professional and 12% as amateur, despite all playing for clubs in the top tier of their country. Only 78% reported having a written contract and 82% said they were paid by their club, while 57% said that payment was enough to cover the costs of playing football. "Players who are professional but don't see or feel themselves as professional are not receiving the full benefits of being an employee," Culvin said.
The report records earnings trends since 2017 and regional disparities: mean average monthly earnings have tripled to $2,601 (£1,970) while the median salary is $1,669 (£1,250). Average monthly pay ranges from $6,450 (£4,886) in North America and $3,982 (£3,016) in central/Western Europe to $878 (£664) in Eastern Europe and $480 (£363) in Africa. The survey notes that although salaries have risen sharply in leagues such as those in the USA and Mexico, average pay in 10 Eastern European countries remains below the national minimum wage.
Contract security remains limited: average contract lengths rose from about one year in 2017 to 19 months, but the report found that only two‑thirds of players are paid for the whole 12 months. Culvin highlighted short contract periods and the need for supplementary work: "Only two-thirds of players are paid for the whole 12 months," said Culvin. She warned that the sport's commercial growth can obscure these realities, saying the boom could "mask some of the realities that players face and actually endure on a day-to-day basis."
The survey recorded further workplace concerns: 24% of players had experienced late payments over the past two seasons and 42% were not provided with a pension. The report also identified improvement in issues around parenthood, with the proportion of respondents citing family plans as a reason to leave falling from nearly half in 2017 to 19% in the latest survey, a change Fifpro links to "maternity regulations that were introduced by Fifa in 2021 and updated two years ago." Culvin said: "What we've concluded, which I think is incredibly important, is that targeted regulatory intervention works - maternity regulations were introduced in 2021."
Fifpro highlighted a widening divide between elite players and the wider workforce, arguing most commercial benefits accrue to a small proportion of the game. "You've got an industry that's very focused on the top 5% of players," Culvin said. "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." She urged coordinated policy change and greater player representation: "There doesn't need to be a choice for those between commercial growth and player protection," said Culvin. "Those two things need to go hand in hand and work in tandem." "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."
Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday on BBC Sounds and additional interviews and content available on the Women's Football Weekly feed.
