Lionesses pay: England match fees vs WSL salaries

Before 2020, England women players received lower match fees than men — typically around £2,000 per game compared to £3,000 for the men’s team. The Lionesses and the PFA campaigned for years to close that gap, and their persistence ultimately changed the FA’s position.

In 2018 the campaign secured a bonus agreement. In January 2020 the FA extended equality to all match fees and non-tournament bonuses. The FA has paid England women’s players the same appearance fees as men’s players since January 2020. The parity applies to match fees and bonuses for games outside major tournaments. Tournament bonuses remained disputed after 2020, however.

Today, England women and men receive the same appearance money when they pull on an England shirt. But that parity has a boundary: tournament bonuses are negotiated separately, and disputes between the Lionesses and the FA over those payments continued into 2025. Tournament bonuses are separate from match fees — a distinction that kept the argument alive long after match-fee parity was secured.

How the pay structure works

The FA’s international pay structure has two parts: a base match fee for every appearance, plus bonuses tied to results and tournament progression. The equal pay agreement covers both — but only for matches outside major tournaments.

For tournaments like the World Cup or Euros, bonus structures are negotiated separately. The 2018 PFA agreement initially covered bonuses only. The 2020 deal brought match fees into parity but tournament bonuses remained a separate track.

Where WSL salaries sit

International match fees are one income stream. Club contracts are another — and they’re separate. International match fees from the FA are a separate income stream from WSL club contracts.

The WSL set a minimum annual salary of £30,000 for full-time professionals starting with the 2023/24 season — though this applies to full-time professional contracts only. Across the league, average salaries sit between £30,000 and £47,000 per year. At the top end, the highest WSL earners make more than £200,000 annually.

This creates a split economics: a Lioness earns FA match fees on international duty and a club salary the rest of the year. For a player on a £35,000 WSL contract, international appearances meaningfully supplement their income. For a player on £200,000 at club level, match fees are proportionally smaller.

The equal pay win was real and significant. But it covers only the FA side of the equation. Club salaries — where the biggest disparities in women’s football remain — are a different fight.