Sam Kerr Chelsea
Getty

IT’S VERY CLEAR that the world has gone mad for women’s football—and rightfully so! With the FIFA Women’s World Cup almost at its end (come on, Matildas!!), we think it’s safe to say that women’s football is only going to continue on an upwards trajectory (FIFA has previously said it expects around 2 billion viewers to watch this year’s Women’s World Cup).

And, thanks to a certain number of marquee players and bonafide football stars, the game is as marketable as ever. While pay discrepancy between women’s football and men’s football is still apparent—the purse for this year’s World Cup is estimated around $226m, as opposed to the $648m allocated to the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year—according to Forbes, this is what some of the world’s best footballing talents are earning per year.


Alex Morgan San Diego
Getty

1. Alex Morgan

$10.9 million

Co-captain of the USWNT and leading goal scorer for the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League, Alex Morgan is certainly making waves on (and off) the soccer pitch thanks to her innate skill to find the back of the net. As a result, the 34-year-old is one of the highest paid female athletes in the world, taking home close to $11 million a year. Besides her high-paying salary, she has an endorsement portfolio that includes Hublot, Cola-Cola’s BodyArmor and Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob Ultra.

Megan Rapinoe OL Reign
Getty

2. Megan Rapinoe

$10.7 million

While Megan Rapinoe is close to the end of her career as a football, there’s no denying the influence the 38-year-old has had on the game, especially in promoting female football in the United States. As such, Rapinoe is paid handsomely for her skill and talents. She is also a business-savvy, owning a production company (A Touch More) and has a stake in Venus Williams’ plant-based food startup, Happy Viking.

Alexia Putellas Barcelona
Getty

3. Alexia Putellas

$6.1 million

As is stands, Alexia Putellas is the best female footballer in the world, taking home the sports highest individual accolade—the Ballon d’Or— in both 2021 and 2022. The FC Barcelona midfielder is paid well at the Spanish football club and also has a string of long-term endorsement deals.

Sam Kerr Chelsea
Getty

4. Sam Kerr

$3.6 million

The Chelsea striker and Australian superstar is one of the world’s most beloved football stars thanks to her extraordinary talents—who doesn’t want to be like Sam Kerr! The 29-year-old is one of the highest paid athletes in the women’s Premier League—and one of the highest paid Australian athletes full stop—and has partnered with global brands like Nike for over 13 years now.

Ada Hegerberg Lyon
Getty

5. Ada Hegerberg

$1.8 million

Ada Hegerberg has enjoyed her time at the top for many years, and was the first-ever recipient of the Ballon d’Or FĂ©minin in 2018. While she has suffered injuries in her past couple of seasons for Olympique Lyonnais FĂ©minin, she remains one of the highest compensated female footballers in the world. Hegerberg is also signed with brands like Nike, Hublot and Danone, among her partners.

Ellie Carpenter
Reuters

6. Ellie Carpenter

$1.2 million

Matildas star defender Ellie Carpenter, who also represents French club Olympique Lyonnais, is the next highest paid Matilda behind Kerr… at just the age of 23!