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Highest-Paid Players at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

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By Nick Hall - Guide

Published: 19 Aug 2023, Last Updated: 2 May 2024

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With the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup sending the sporting world football-mad, the transformation is complete. Women’s sport is officially big business, with ticket sales, memorabilia and international tourism expected to deliver a massive financial gain. But it’s not just the brands, sponsors and host nation that get a slice of the pie this year. Thumbing through the list of highest-paid players at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, you can see just how marketable some of the world’s top athletes have become. Among them, sits one star Aussie.

Highest Paid Players at 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

While they fell short in their quest for a historic third World Cup victory in a row, the United States still sits pretty on top of the international football ladder, and the paycheques its stars demand are suitably monstrous. According to Forbes, for the second straight year, U.S. players Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe top the list of the highest-paid players, courtesy of their eye-watering endorsement deals. Australian Sam Kerr also made the list, thanks to a blockbuster run over the past few months that saw her take honours as the FIFA 23 cover star, alongside a laundry list of achievements on the pitch. Here are the highest-paid players at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

1. Alex Morgan – USD$7.1 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.8 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$6.3 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Forward
• Age: 34

Despite a disappointing showing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the U.S. national team still dominates the list of highest-paid players, with co-captain Alex Morgan clear on top. The 34-year-old San Diego Wave FC star is set to earn a cool USD$7.1 million this year, courtesy of a lucrative salary and a series of eye-watering endorsement deals. Earlier this year, Morgan appeared alongside Serena Williams and Succession‘s Brian Cox in an Anheuser-Busch Michelob Ultra Super Bowl commercial that went viral. She also holds deals with Hublot, sports drink brand Bodyarmor and a host more, helping to swell her bottom line dramatically.

2. Megan Rapinoe – USD$7 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.7 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$6.3 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Forward
• Age: 38

At 38 years of age, OL Reign star Megan Rapinoe has essentially done it all on the football pitch. The former Ballon d’Or Féminin winner has won gold at the Olympics, secured victory at previous FIFA World Cups and was even named The Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019. This year, she may have stumbled at the final hurdle, ending Team USA’s dreams of a fourth-straight World Cup triumph, but she’s still an icon of the game.

So impressive is Rapinoe’s career that she has managed to completely transcend the sport. Earlier this year, the football legend became just the sixth female athlete or coach to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in acknowledgement of her dedicated advocacy work for LGBTQI+ rights and pay equality.

Rapinoe’s popularity is such that she has also managed to take home a whopping USD$7 million this year, bolstered by a significant number of strong investments, including Serena Williams’ plant-based food start-up Happy Viking, alongside a plethora of paid social media posts. As Variety reported late last year, Rapinoe and her partner, Olympic gold medallist Sue Bird, also launched a production company titled A Touch More, which has drawn interest from a number of parties.

3. Alexia Putellas – USD$4 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.8 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$3.2 million
• Team: Spain
• Position: Midfield
• Age: 29

When it comes to the best players in the world, it’s hard to ignore Alexia Putellas. The 2021 and 2022 Ballon d’Or Féminin winner is arguably the most impressive footballer in the tournament and has a social media following to match. With over three million followers on Instagram, the Barcelona captain is one of the most popular players to have ever stepped foot on the pitch. Naturally, with that level of fame comes a hefty price tag, which many brands have been more than willing to front up for.

Putellas is set to earn around USD$4 million this year, with $3.2 million of that coming directly from endorsement deals. According to Sports Khabri, the Spanish fan favourite has inked deals with Nike, Cupra Racing, Oakley, Spotify and Hublot, making her a serious marketing force to be reckoned with.

4. Trinity Rodman – USD$2.3 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.8 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$1.5 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Forward
• Age: 21

The youngest player to make the list of highest-paid players at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, you can expect to see Trinity Rodman’s name remain here for many years to come. The 21-year-old daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman has quickly become of the sport’s most marketable faces, attracting major sponsorship attention from the likes of adidas, Oakley and Red Bull.

5. Sam Kerr – USD$2.2 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.4million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$1.8 million
• Team: Australia
• Position: Forward
• Age: 29

Matilda’s captain and 2022 EA Sports FIFA global cover star Sam Kerr is the only Aussie to make the list of the highest-paid female footballers for this year. Despite being a multi-time Women’s Super League Player of the Year recipient, Kerr sits behind her American counterparts in the earnings rank but she is catching up.

Kerr holds a 13-year strong partnership with sporting brand Nike that is reportedly worth a cool $1 million, alongside an endorsement deal with Mastercard. Just last year, the forward was named EA Sports’ first-ever female FIFA global cover athlete, just months after she managed to lead her league club, Chelsea, to a second consecutive Women’s Super League title. No details were revealed surrounding the payment at the time, however, it was likely to be a large sum. Throw in Kerr’s coveted Chelsea FC contract, which is reportedly worth around $600,000 per year and it’s no surprise the Aussie dynamo is climbing the highest paid female footballers list.

6. Crystal Dunn – USD$2 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.7 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$1.3 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Defence
• Age: 31

It really feels like Crystal Dunn has been dominating forever, but the Portland Thorns defender is still just 31 years of age. The tall and versatile stalwart of Team USA’s defensive structure has amassed an incredible career over many years and even a 12-month break from the sport wasn’t enough to quash her love of the game. Dunn only returned to the pitch in late 2022 after giving birth to a son and has already returned to her best. The superstar is set to earn around USD$2 million this year, courtesy of a few lucrative deals with Mastercard and Therabody, among others.

6. Julie Ertz – USD$2 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.7 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$1.3 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Midfield
• Age: 31

Tied with Dunn and country-woman Sophia Smith for sixth on the list of highest paid players at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is Angel City FC star Julie Ertz. The Team USA midfielder is set to earn around USD$2 million this year, with a whopping $1.3 million of that coming from endorsement deals. Judging by her social media, Ertz has managed secure deals with Subway and Spotify, with a number of lucrative partnerships running in the background.

6. Sophia Smith – USD$2 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.8 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$1.2 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Forward
• Age: 22

Much like her teammate Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Smith is set to rake in some serious dough in 2023. The youngest player to ever be drafted in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Smith has spent the better part of three years amassing a ridiculous resume that includes the 2022 NWSL MVP Award. In 2023, the forward is set to earn around USD$2 million, with the bulk of that coming via endorsements with Nike, Ally Bank, Bud Light, Chipotle and Hyperice.

9. Lindsey Horan – USD$1.5 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.9 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$0.6 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Midfield
• Age: 29

One of only two players to make this list that earns more from salary than endorsements, Lyon player Lindsey Horan is one of the sport’s most impressive figures. The 29-year-old made the move away from her native U.S. to tackle the Division 1 Féminine and has shown that she has more than enough talent to take on the Europeans at their own game. The 2021 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year is destined to make around USD$1.5 million in the process, with around $900,000 coming directly from her multi-year deal with the French club.

10. Rose Lavelle – USD$1.4 Million

• Contract Earnings: USD$0.8 million
• Endorsement Earnings: USD$0.6 million
• Team: USA
• Position: Midfielder
• Age: 28

Team USA midfielder Rose Lavelle is often described as the reluctant star, but the Ohio native will have to get used to it. At 28 years old, the OL Reign midfielder has another decade at the top of the game awaiting her with at least a few more World Cups on the cards. In 2017, Lavelle nabbed a multi-year deal with footwear brand New Balance, making her the first female soccer player to ink a deal with the sportswear brand. In recent times, Lavelle has been spotted in commercials for Subway and Icy Hot Dry Spray, where she joked with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and tennis player Sloane Stephens.

How Much Do Players Get Paid for the 2023 FIFA World Cup?

For the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there have been a number of changes, particularly relating to player pay. Importantly, FIFA has fulfilled its commitment to the players’ union that the majority of the $165 million prize pool goes directly to the 732 athletes appearing at the event. This figure is more than three times the $45 million figure that was paid out in 2019, and it gets spread across the participants, with incentives for the winners.

According to FIFA, the title-winning nation will receive $15.7 million from the football organisation, with $9.3 million of that to be distributed among the players with the remaining $6.4 million going to the federation. Each player on the World Cup championship team will receive a cool $405,000.

FIFA Women’s World Cup Prize Money

Pay Discrepancies

While FIFA is set to honour its promise to financially reward the players taking part in the tournament, the figure still falls desperately short of the astronomical $656 million prize pool handed out at the Qatar 2022 Men’s World Cup. According to The Athletic, the players’ union FIFPro challenged FIFA earlier this year to secure a “global guarantee” that 30 per cent of the prize money would go to players. FIFA responded, claiming that it is aiming for “equal prize money for men and women by the next World Cup cycle in 2026 and 2027“.

The discrepancy in male and female prize money has remained a key issue amongst players, with the Matildas even releasing a video voicing their concerns. In the clip, the Australian players spoke candidly in the hopes of raising awareness about the pay conditions of athletes from other nations competing in this year’s tournament.

Here in Australia, the conditions are tailored towards equality. A recently signed collective bargaining agreement with Football Australia guarantees that Matildas players receive the same minimum percentage of prize money as the Socceroos do, however, that prize pool can vary depending on the tournament.

For female players, the injection of money is much-needed. Outside of the highest-paid players at the Women’s World Cup, the player pool is severely underpaid. For reference, the championship prize money figure of $405,000 is almost 20 times the average salary, which currently stands at just $21,000.

Even at the top end of town, the figures for female footballers are dwarfed by their male counterparts. Alex Morgan’s USD$7.1 million yearly earning figure is just three per cent of what Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo earns playing for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. Similarly, Argentina’s Lionel Messi makes around $US210 million each year and just this month, French star and Sam Kerr co-cover athlete Kylian Mbappé was reportedly offered a deal worth over $1 billion.

For female athletes, the familiar rhetoric has been around viewership, but in an ironic fashion, growth is a true chicken-and-egg situation. Women’s sport traditionally has lower viewership numbers, but at the same, there are fewer avenues to watch women’s sport. The broadcast figures for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup may well be the foundation stone for greater bargaining power.

FIFA previously claimed that around 1.2 billion viewers watched the 2019 tournament, with initial estimates anticipating this year’s event will be closer to 2 billion. That’s still a fair way short of the 5 billion viewers who watched the 2022 Qatar Men’s World Cup, but it must be said, 2 billion people should be more than enough to rattle a few purse pockets.

With the sheer number of international tourists, brand collaborations and endorsement deals surrounding the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the influence of the sport is finally starting to be realised. Should the Matildas hold on and secure a historic victory, expect to see a few new names on the list next year.

2023 FIFA Womens World Cup FAQs