Nearly Half of Women’s Footballers Consider Early Retirement Amid Money and Mental Health Concerns

Almost half of women’s football players are thinking about retiring early because of money worries and mental health struggles, according to a new report from the players’ union FIFPRO.

The 2026 FIFPRO Global Employment Report on working conditions in women’s football is based on surveys and interviews with around 800 players. It found that 49% were considering an early retirement. Of those, 59% pointed to money as a reason and 46% pointed to psychological stress.

Pay has gone up, but not for everyone. Average monthly club salaries have tripled since 2017 to $2,601, helped by revenue growth in leagues like the NWSL in the United States. 

The median salary, which is the middle figure when all players are lined up from lowest to highest paid, is much lower at $1,669. FIFPRO said growth in the women’s game is uneven, and many players are left without secure work or enough support.

Salaries have risen sharply in places like the United States and Mexico, but average pay is still below the national minimum wage in 10 Eastern European countries. Even in bigger football markets such as Western Europe and Asia and Oceania, average pay is not much higher than the minimum wage.

Only 56% of the players surveyed had an employment contract, and just 13% got a pension from their clubs. The report also found that 57% had struggled with their mental health, and half of those players got no help from their clubs.

FIFPRO’s director of women’s football, Dr Alex Culvin, said the game is turning professional faster in some markets, but players are not all feeling the benefits. 

“Away from the best resourced clubs, there is a recurring theme of precarity and fragile conditions,” she said.

The report calls for firm minimum standards on pay, facilities, staffing and health, along with required mental health support for players. It also found that only eight of the 30 national women’s leagues it looked at had agreements with players’ unions on working conditions.