Who Are The Top 10 Highest Paid Female Soccer Players?
This list of the highest paid female soccer players is based on what each player was paid last year, taking on and off-pitch earnings into account. We’ll also take a look at how this compares to the richest male soccer players and delve into the disparity.
10. Sofia Huerta – $1.3 million
- Total Earnings – $1.3 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $500,000
- On-Field Earnings – $800,000
The 10th best-paid female soccer player is Sofia Huerta. Born in Boise, Idaho, Huerta has Mexican heritage through her father and played five times for the Mexican Women’s National Team before changing affiliation to the United States in 2017.
Through her contracts with Seattle Reign and the US Women’s National Team, Sofia Huerta earned $800,000 on-field, and off-field, she added a further $500,000 through sponsorships and endorsements.
9. Rose Lavelle – $1.4 million
- Total Earnings – $1.4 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $600,000
- On-Field Earnings – $800,000
Next on our list is another USWNT regular and National Women’s Soccer League star, Rose Lavelle, who earned a total of $1.4 million last year.
In a career that has seen her play for seven different clubs, Lavelle has established herself as a crucial member of the US squad, appearing at two world cups and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Lavelle tops up her on-field earnings with several endorsements, including the beer brand FLIGHT.
8. Lindsey Horan – $1.5 million
- Total Earnings – $1.5 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $600,000
- On-Field Earnings – $900,000
Midfielder Lindsey Horan sits at number eight on our list, with an annual salary of $1.5 million. She plays club soccer for Olympique Lyon in France, the most successful team in UEFA Women’s Champions League history.
Horan has the highest reported on-field salary of any female player in the world at $900,000, and added $600,000 through off-field endorsements in 2023.
5 (tie). Sophia Smith – $2 million
- Total Earnings – $2 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $1.2 million
- On-Field Earnings – $800,000
After being drafted as the number one pick at the 2020 NWSL College Draft, Sophia Smith has become one of the superstars of the league and a regular for the USWNT.
In 2022, she won the NWSL championship with the Portland Thorns and was voted as league MVP. She backs up her on-field performance with commercial deals, too.
Her 326k followers on Instagram give her a strong social media presence, and she has endorsements with several companies including Nike and Chipotle.
5 (tie). Julie Ertz – $2 million
- Total Earnings – $2 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $1.3 million
- On-Field Earnings – $700,000
Next up is Julie Ertz, who played for the Chicago Red Stars, Angel City FC, and the United States before retiring in August 2023.
In total, the Arizona native managed 123 appearances and 20 goals for the US. She’s also won two World Cups and was named the US Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2015.
In the final year of her career, Ertz earned a salary of $700,000 a year for Angel City and had several lucrative off-field contracts that were worth $1.3 million.
5 (tie). Crystal Dunn – $2 million
- Total Earnings – $2 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $1.3 million
- On-Field Earnings – $700,000
A former winner of the Hermann Trophy in her college career, Crystal Dunn has been an ever-present in the USWNT setup for over a decade.
Now playing her club football at NJ/NY Gotham FC, during the 2023 NWSL the versatile player had an on-field salary of $700,000 and several lucrative sponsors off-field, including Mastercard and Therabody.
4. Trinity Rodman – $2.3 million
- Total Earnings – $2.3 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $1.5 million
- On-Field Earnings – $800,000
Trinity Rodman is one of the most exciting, young attacking talents in the world of women’s soccer and despite her tender age, she already has a significant amount of domestic and international experience.
She was the youngest player ever to be drafted in the NWSL at just 18, and at 21 she already has 34 appearances for the United States senior team.
Her on-field earnings are almost doubled by off-field though, and the fact she’s the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman will only enhance her fame and commercial earning potential. In 2023, she had several long-term brand partnerships, most notably with Adidas.
3. Alexia Putellas – $4 million
- Total Earnings – $4 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $3.2 million
- On-Field Earnings – $800,000
Barcelona and Spain captain Alexia Putellas is the third-highest-paid female soccer player and the only non-American player on our list.
This American dominance shows the commercial power American players have in female soccer and the level of stardom achieved by Putellas.
A two-time Ballon d’Or Féminin winner, Putellas has similar on-field earnings to her American counterparts, however her off-field earnings amounted to a giant $3.2 million in 2023.
This is partly helped by her 2.8 million Instagram followers, making her one of the world’s most commercially influential female soccer players.
2. Megan Rapinoe – $7 million
- Total Earnings – $7 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $6.3 million
- On-Field Earnings – $700,000
Another player on our list who retired in 2023, Megan Rapinoe was one of the best-known and recognizable soccer players in the world.
The US international played 203 times for her country, scoring 63 goals and winning two World Cups. Her final club team was OL Reign, who she played with for 10 years.
She won both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball at the 2019 Women’s World Cup and her on-field success was matched by huge achievements off it. In 2022, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her activism around pay equality, racial justice, and LGBT+ rights.
She also had a long list of commercial endorsements with global brands including Nike, Samsung, Google and Subway, which helped her achieve $6.3 million off-field earnings.
1. Alex Morgan – $7.1 million
- Total Earnings – $7.1 million
- Off-Field Earnings – $6.3 million
- On-Field Earnings – $800,000
The highest-paid, and most recognizable female soccer player in the world is Alex Morgan, who earned a massive $7.1 million last year alone.
A key member of the US national team for over a decade, Morgan has won the World Cup twice, being chosen as a member of the Dream Team on both occasions.
Morgan is a global star; she was the first woman to feature on the cover of the FIFA video game in 2015, alongside Lionel Messi, and was named on Time’s 100 Most Influential People list twice.
In 2023, she earned an on-pitch salary of $800,000 through contracts with San Diego Wave and the USWNT, but this was dwarfed by her off-field earnings of $6.3 million.
Throughout her career, Alex Morgan has signed a long list of commercial deals with companies including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Bank of America, and appeared in several major magazines including Sports Illustrated, Elle, and Vogue.
Women’s Soccer Pay vs Men’s
While women’s soccer is growing in popularity, there is still a huge disparity between the salaries of top male and female players. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest-paid male player, earned $260 million in total in 2023, more than 37x what Alex Morgan made.
There are several reasons for this. Comparing the commercial reality of men’s and women’s club soccer, in particular, helps explain why.
Soccer is a traditionally male-dominated sport and the long-established history of the male game means fans, broadcasters, and sponsors are willing to pay much more money to access the product, and this is reflected in player salaries.
For context, the Women’s Super League has a current TV broadcast deal that is worth $9.8 million per year, whereas the Premier League’s equivalent brings in a staggering $2.1 billion – more than 214x as much.
Closing The Gap
Several steps are being taken particularly in the international game, to bring women’s pay closer to men’s. Many international soccer federations, including the US and England, now pay male and female teams the same salary.
World-leading male leagues and clubs are also providing financial support to help grow the women’s game. For example, the Premier League has agreed to an interest-free £20m loan to the Women’s Super League, but there is much more that can be done.
In 2018, the men’s World Cup winners, France, received prize money of $38 million, but the women’s winners earned just 7.5% of that ($4 million). The prize offered by FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, should be made equal for men and women.
International governing bodies should also try to address pay gaps between their men’s and women’s teams, following the lead of countries like England, the USA, and others.
Furthermore, businesses and broadcasters also have a major role to play in growing the women’s game. The bigger the platform female soccer players get, the more their profiles will grow. This in turn will increase the amount of eyes on female soccer, which will also increase revenue and player salaries.
For more rich lists, check out: Top 10 Richest Esports Players Ever/ The Top 10 Richest Soccer Players Ever / Who Are The 10 Richest Olympians Ever?
