Highest Paid Women's Soccer Players 2026

For the longest time the amount female soccer players get paid has been the source of much debate.

The impact women’s soccer has had on the global sporting landscape in recent times is plain to see, no more so than in Australia.

You only have to look at the success of the last Women’s World Cup that was hosted Down Under and the sell-out crowds it attracted.

There’s no two ways about it, women’s soccer is on the rise and so are the players’ salaries.

For example, two years ago, a million dollars a year in women's soccer was a headline on its own. In 2026, it won't even get you into the top five.

The NWSL's new High Impact Player rule lets clubs pay eligible stars up to US$1 million above the salary cap. In England, Manchester City and Chelsea went toe-to-toe over Bunny Shaw. And the newly crowned Ballon d'Or Féminin winner has just swapped Barcelona for London.

Reported pay in the women's game still varies a lot from source to source. So we've ranked players on their reported annual club salary for 2026, shown in the currency it was reported in.

Yes, that means dollars, pounds and euros in the one list. Consider it a free currency lesson.

So, just how much do the top female players in the top leagues in America, England and Europe take home a year?

Let’s find out! Here is a list of the highest paid women's soccer players as of 2026. 

Highest Paid Women's Soccer Players 2026 

7. Mallory Swanson – Chicago Stars (US$400k)

When Mallory Swanson signed with the Chicago Stars through 2028 in January 2024, her deal was reportedly worth about US$400,000 a year.

At the time, that made her the best-paid player in the NWSL. Two years later, it gets her into seventh.

That's how fast this market is moving. Swanson missed the 2025 season on maternity leave and returned to the Stars' active roster in May 2026.

6. Sophia Wilson – Portland Thorns (US$1 million)

Sophia Wilson took up a one-year player option with the Portland Thorns for 2026, reportedly worth US$1 million.

It's the first seven-figure single-season salary in NWSL history. Wilson missed the 2025 season on maternity leave, so the record arrived with her comeback.

The option covers one season only, so this is a number that might not stay put for long.

5. Aitana Bonmatí – Barcelona (€750k to €1 million)

Aitana Bonmatí signed a new Barcelona contract in September 2024 that runs until 2028.

Her salary was reported at the time to sit somewhere between €750,000 and €1 million a year, which made her the best-paid player in the women's game back then.

She won the Ballon d'Or Féminin three years running, in 2023, 2024 and 2025. A broken leg kept her out of the second half of the 2025-26 season, and she missed the shortlist for this year's award.

4. Catarina Macario – San Diego Wave (US$1.6 million)

Catarina Macario came home in March. The San Diego Wave paid Chelsea a reported US$300,000 to sign her on a deal through 2030 worth around US$8 million, believed to be the biggest cumulative contract in women's soccer.

Spread over five seasons, that works out at about US$1.6 million a year. The move takes her back to the NWSL after spells with Lyon and Chelsea.

3. Alexia Putellas – London City Lionesses (US$1.85 million)

Alexia Putellas has just won the Ballon d'Or Féminin for a third time, drawing level with Bonmatí.

She's also the first player from a WSL club to win it. That's because she left Barcelona after 14 years and 38 trophies, signing a three-year deal with London City Lionesses in July.

Her final Barcelona season brought 21 goals and 13 assists. The pay is where it gets murky.

Some reports in July put her new deal at more than US$1.85 million a year, while another said her base salary sits below €1 million, with bonuses on top. Either way, reports agree it's a pay rise on what she earned at Barcelona.

2. Khadija Shaw – Manchester City (£1.2 million)

Chelsea came calling. Manchester City matched them, then went further. Khadija "Bunny" Shaw signed a new four-year deal in May that keeps her at City until 2030.

It's reportedly worth more than £1.2 million a season and has been described as a record in the women's game.

She earned it. Shaw scored 21 goals in 22 WSL games in 2025-26, won a third straight WSL Golden Boot and fired City to their first league title since 2016. She also finished third in this year's Ballon d'Or Féminin voting.

1. Trinity Rodman – Washington Spirit (US$2 million)

Trinity Rodman didn't just sign a new contract. She changed the rules. The NWSL created its High Impact Player rule, dubbed the "Rodman rule", while it worked to keep her at the Washington Spirit.

In January, she signed a three-year deal reportedly worth more than US$2 million a year including bonuses.

When she signed it, that was reported as the biggest annual salary in women's soccer.

Shaw's new City deal has since been reported as a record too, so the top spot comes down to bonuses and fine print.

Please note that all player salaries  are approximate figures. These are current annual salaries as of 2026 and do not encapsulate the total duration or value of their current contracts or include off-field revenue.