Khadija Shaw is the highest-paid female footballer in 2026. ‘Bunny’ Shaw, as she’s known, is on a reported £1.6 million, as reported by The Athletic.
That headline says plenty about where the women’s game is now: several elite players are earning serious money, and the ceiling keeps rising.
The methodology matters, though, because women’s salaries are less publicly documented than men’s, so this ranking uses reported base pay, guaranteed annual value, and bonus language where it has been made public.
Top 10 highest-paid female footballers 2026/27
The top end of women’s football wages has broken through the £1 million mark, and that alone tells you how fast the market has moved.
This list ranks the top ten of the reported highest annual earners in the women’s game, from Bunny Shaw in the WSL to Marta in the NWSL.
- Khadija Shaw - (£1.6m) / Manchester City
- Trinity Rodman - (£1.48m) / Washington Spirit
- Alexia Putellas - (Just under £1m) / London City Lionesses
- Aitana Bonmatí - (£856,000) / Barcelona
- Sophia Wilson - (£739,000) / Portland Thorns
- Sam Kerr - (£466,000) / Chelsea
- Lauren Hemp - (£400,000) / Manchester City
- Keira Walsh - (£382,000) / Chelsea
- Ada Hegerberg - (£345,000) / Lyon
- Marta - (£335,000) / Orlando Pride
Marta: Orlando Pride’s enduring standard-bearer
Marta’s place in the top ten reflects longevity as much as status. Orlando Pride kept one of the most iconic names in women’s football on a reported £335,000 a year, and that salary still carries weight because her value is built on recognition, leadership, and the ability to lift a team’s profile.
Even now, she remains a reference point for the modern game.
Ada Hegerberg: Lyon’s relentless goalscorer
Ada Hegerberg continues to earn a strong salary at Lyon, where her reported £345,000 a year rewards a career built on elite finishing and continental pedigree. Her reputation is bigger than any single season.
That matters in the highest-paid female footballers conversation, because clubs still pay for proven match-winners who can tilt a Champions League tie with one sharp movement.
Keira Walsh: Chelsea’s midfield control room
Keira Walsh’s reported £382,000 salary underlines the market for elite midfield control. Chelsea value players who set tempo, protect possession, and make everyone around them cleaner on the ball.
Walsh does that at the highest level, which is why she remains one of the highest-paid female footballers even in a list dominated by attacking stars.
Lauren Hemp: Manchester City pace with end product
Lauren Hemp’s £400,000 salary reflects a blend of output and consistency that clubs love to bank on. Manchester City have long treated her as a cornerstone in attack, and her value stretches beyond highlights.
Reliable wide players with decisive pace are hard to replace, and that steadiness keeps Hemp among the highest-paid female footballers in the sport.
Sam Kerr: Chelsea’s global box-office name
Sam Kerr’s reported £466,000 salary comes with the kind of profile few players can match. Chelsea have been willing to pay for elite finishing and star power, and Kerr has both.
Her status also boosts her broader commercial pull, which helps explain why she stays near the top of the highest-paid female footballers list year after year.
Sophia Wilson: Portland Thorns’ premium forward
Sophia Wilson’s reported £739,000 salary places her in a very different bracket to most of the NWSL, and that reflects her standing as a headline attacker in Portland.
A player at that level is paid not just for goals, but for status, consistency, and the confidence that she can shape games against top opposition. That is the currency at the top of women’s football wages.
Aitana Bonmatí: Barcelona’s artistic engine
Aitana Bonmatí remains one of the game’s defining midfielders and is reported on £856,000 a year at Barcelona.
Her place in the ranking is simple to explain: awards, influence, and a style that turns control into trophies. She was the benchmark before the newest contract swings, and she still sits among the highest-paid female footballers with ease.
Alexia Putellas: London City Lionesses land a superstar
Alexia Putellas has arrived at London City Lionesses on a three-year deal, with a base salary believed to be just under £1 million a year and bonuses pushing the total higher.
Two Ballon d’Or wins and 38 trophies with Barcelona made her one of the most bankable names in the women’s game, and the move instantly reshaped the top end of WSL salaries.
Trinity Rodman: Washington Spirit’s landmark deal
Trinity Rodman’s reported annual value sits at £1.48 million, making her one of the most influential figures in the modern market.
The deal is as important symbolically as it is financially, because it showed that young, marketable stars can command elite money when talent, profile, and scarcity all line up. She is central to any discussion of the highest-paid female footballers.
Khadija Shaw: Manchester City’s record breaker
Khadija Shaw’s £1.6 million annual package makes her the highest-paid women’s footballer in 2026 and the headline name among the highest-paid female footballers.
Her new Manchester City contract was built around a £1 million base salary, with guaranteed add-ons taking the annual figure higher. Her scoring record, big-game consistency, and star power all justify City’s decision to make her the market leader.
Highest earners in the English league
The WSL now sits right at the centre of the salary story. Thanks to growing interest in the league, the WSL odds, and the stars of the show, more money’s being pumped into the game to enable bigger contracts.
Shaw’s Manchester City deal is the record-breaker, but Putellas’ move to the London City Lionesses is just as revealing because it shows how far ambitious clubs will go to attract elite talent.
Those two contracts give the league a genuine premium tier, and they sit above the broader run of highest paid WSL players.
Manchester City paying Shaw the top wage in the women’s game while also operating in the same city as the Premier League’s top earner is a neat snapshot of the market’s direction.
It does not close the gap, but it does show that the English game is becoming a serious destination for elite talent with serious financial backing.
Salary vs endorsements
The biggest reason the totals vary so much is that salary and commercial income are built in very different ways.
Clubs pay for football value, while endorsement brands pay for visibility, global recognition, and audience reach. A player can be elite on the pitch and still earn far less off it than a globally recognisable name with the right profile.
That is why reported figures can look uneven even among the highest-paid female footballers. Some contracts are heavy on guaranteed wages, some lean on bonuses, and some players add significant commercial income through endorsements, appearances, and social reach.
The split makes the market look messy, but it also shows how fast women’s football wages are becoming more sophisticated.
Women’s vs men’s top pay
The comparison with men’s football still lands harshly. The highest-paid female footballers are now earning seven-figure packages, but the men’s game remains in a different financial universe, especially at the top of the Premier League player salaries table.
That said, the gap is closing a little with each season as broadcast money, sponsorship, and transfer activity keep growing.
It’s not just on the pitch that changes are taking place. In the sports studios, we’re seeing much more female representation, as shown by the top-tier cast of Sky Sports female presenters.
Manchester City’s dual role is the most striking part of the comparison: the club sits near the top of both the men’s and women’s pay ladders in England.
The relationship is still a chasm, not a bridge, but the women’s market is no longer an afterthought. It is building its own premium tier, with its own stars and its own financial logic.
Transfer record trajectory
Recent transfer fees show how quickly the market is moving and why it’s key to keep an eye on all of the women’s football news.
Real Madrid’s move for Felicia Schröder and Barcelona’s signing of Kerolin Nicoli were both framed as landmark deals, while London City’s capture of Grace Geyoro also pushed the bar higher.
That matters because many of the highest earners are on very new contracts. Shaw’s extension, Putellas’ surprise move, and Rodman’s landmark deal all sit in the same broader trend: clubs are tying top salaries to top fees, and they are doing it faster than many expected.
Reporting on the highest-paid female footballers will keep changing, because the market is still growing and the next record may arrive sooner than anyone expects.
FAQ
Who is the highest-paid WSL player?
Khadija Shaw is the highest-paid WSL player, with a reported annual package of £1.6 million at Manchester City.
What is the average WSL salary?
Women’s salaries in the WSL are less publicly documented than men’s, so there is no single official average that covers every club.
Reported top-end salaries are now far higher than they were a few seasons ago, but the league still contains a wide spread between elite earners and much smaller contracts.
What is the biggest women’s transfer fee?
The biggest women’s transfer fee has continued to move quickly in 2025 and 2026, with the record changing hands several times.
Recent landmark moves like Felicia Schröder’s switch to Real Madrid, reported around €1.5 million have set new records in women’s football and likely won’t last as the record-holders for long.
