England are aiming to create yet more history when they play Spain in the Women’s Euro 2025 final on Sunday.
The Lionesses continue to act as trailblazers for millions of women and girls across the country and their enhanced profile has been reflected by their increased pay in recent years – even if it is still much less than their male counterparts at club level.
So, how much do professional women footballers such as Alessia Russo and Leah Williamson make compared to their colleagues playing the men’s game?
Here is everything you need to know about how much England players earn at their clubs.
How much do women footballers get paid?
Women’s Super League (WSL) is the top league in women’s football in England.
WSL players receive an average salary of £25,000 to £27,000 per year.
The biggest names can earn much more than this, such as Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, who is reported to earn a salary of around £400,000 per year.
However, while it’s equivalent to the Premier League in status (i.e. it’s the top league you can play in), there’s a big difference when it comes to the money.
In 2019, The Guardian reported that an average Premier League player’s pay was around £61,000 per week – totalling more than £3 million a year.
Many big-name players, of course, will be earning even more than that.
How much do players get paid for playing for England?
The Football Association now pays players on both England teams equally for representing their country.
The fee is around £2,000 per match, with many players opting to give the money away to charity – although that is not a requirement.
The FA says: ‘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.’
The Lionesses were paid a bonus of £55,000 by the FA for winning Euro 2022, on top of their usual match fee.
The team will likely bank more money from the FA if they defend their title against Spain in the Euro 2025 final.
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