How much do England women's players get paid? Lionesses' Euro 2025 prize money explained

Independent

5 days ago

England are once again through to the latter stages of a major international tournament but there remains a significant pay gap when it comes to what the Lionesses players are likely to earn financially this summer.
England have reached a sixth consecutive major tournament semi-final - the best run of results in the team's history - and will bid to make it through to a third final in a row when they play Italy in Geneva.
England won the Euros three years ago when they defeated Germany at Wembley and the Lionesses followed their first major honour by reaching the final of the Women's World Cup the next year.
Before the start of Euro 2025, Uefa confirmed record prize money of €41m (£34m) for the 16-team tournament. It represents an increase of 156 per cent on the prize money offered at Euro 2022, when it stood at just €16m.
England's federation received just over E2m when the Lionesses lifted Euro 2022 but the Euro 2025 champions can take home up to €5.1m, when performance bonuses are added on top of a base participation fee of €1.8m awarded to all teams at the tournament.
The total prize money on offer at the men's Euro 2024 was €331m, with the champions Spain winning a maximum of €28.25m. The participation prize money for all 24 teams at the men's Euros was €9.25m.
Player bonuses
Before Euro 2025, Uefa's executive committee confirmed that participating teams would be required to distribute between 30 to 40 per cent of their prize money received at the tournament to the players for the first time, in a move that mirrored the agreement announced by Fifa ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The Lionesses also reached an agreement with the Football Association (FA) over performance-related bonuses before the Euros, avoiding a repeat of the row that broke out in the lead up to England reaching the World Cup final two years ago. The Guardian reported that England's players would receive a collective bonus of £1.75m if they win Euro 2025.
The agreement with the FA ensures that England players can receive a performance-related bonus from their national association, on top of their guaranteed cut of the prize money distributed by Uefa.
Are England's players paid per match?
England's players receive what is essentially a nominal fee of around £2,000 per match and there has been equal pay between the men's and women's national teams since 2020. Most donate this to charity but they are not required to.
Top England internationals playing in the Women's Super League can receive annual salaries that are in the low six figures, while top England internationals in the Premier League are able to double that in one week.
It was also also reported that the England men's team who reached the Euro 2024 final last summer would have shared a bonus pot of £14m had they beaten Spain in the Berlin final
Of course, many Lionesses players can boost their incomes through sponsorships and paid partnerships. However, the reliance on social media to generate additional income may put some players in a difficult position at a time when members of the squad are advocating for a social media boycott following the racist abuse suffered by Jess Carter at the tournament.