FIFA report highlights the inequities in women's soccer

Anne M. Peterson · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 10:44 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Despite the increasing attraction connected women's shot globally, the immense bulk of players and teams inactive conflict for resources and investment.

FIFA connected Monday released its yearly study connected the women's game, highlighting the inequities crossed the sport.

Soccer's satellite governing assemblage expanded the 4th edition's scope from 34 leagues to 86 leagues and immoderate 669 teams, providing a much close representation of the authorities of the game. It analyzed information successful six areas: sporting, governance, fiscal landscape, instrumentality engagement, information and digital, and player-related matters.

The study separated the leagues into 3 tiers, based connected assorted criteria including whether the leagues had elder level competitions, the fig of players connected a 2023 Women's World Cup roster oregon a premier tourney similar the Women's Euros, and the subordinate association's fund for women's soccer.

The study found the mean gross wage crossed each tiers was $10,900 US, but that fig was skewed by 16 clubs successful the apical tier that paid players an mean of much than $50,000. The mean wage for top-tier teams was $24,030 globally, less than a surviving wage successful galore places.

Women's shot is not yet profitable, with top-tier leagues generating an mean of $4.4 cardinal successful gross but spending an mean of $7.6 million. The lowest tier averaged $76,000 successful revenue, with $182,000 successful expenses. FIFA did not place the idiosyncratic clubs wrong each each tier.

Only 22 per cent of the clubs surveyed had women's coaches, the study said.

The bulk of top-tier leagues had home broadcast deals (91%) compared to 32% successful the bottommost tier. Just 42% of the third-tier teams person a rubric sponsor, compared to 69% astatine the top.

The study comes arsenic FIFA introduced 2 much planetary nine tournaments, the 2026 Women's Champions Cup and the 2028 Women's Club World Cup.

The enactment announced earlier this period that 19 teams volition instrumentality portion successful the first-ever Women's Club World Cup successful January-February 2028.

The caller Women's Champions Cup volition see the six continental nine champions and volition beryllium played successful January adjacent year.

It is hoped that the competitions spur much concern by keeping attraction connected the players adjacent erstwhile it's not a Women's World Cup year.

"This period FIFA announced the timelines and formats for 2 new, landmark, planetary FIFA women's nine competitions," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said successful a connection Monday. "As we embark connected the improvement of these tournaments, it is arsenic important that we connection insights and resources to women's shot stakeholders truthful that unneurotic we tin physique connected the coagulated foundations already successful place.

"FIFA volition utilize the findings to physique tailor-made programs that volition enactment subordinate associations to proceed to professionalize women's shot — this is captious arsenic we embark connected a caller epoch for women's nine shot connected the planetary stage."