Women's football: publication of the fourth edition of FIFA's "Setting the Pace" benchmarking report

5% of women's clubs in the top tier operate without a main sponsor, compared to 38% in the second division and 53% in the third, according to the fourth edition of FIFA's "Setting the Pace" report, "the only women's football benchmarking report of its kind," published on 17/03/2025.

"Following the delivery of the first three editions that focused on the top 30 to 34 women’s football leagues in the world, the fourth edition marks a significant evolution as it expands beyond only the elite sector of the game to encompass three tiers of women's football leagues. In total, the report directly monitors 86 leagues and 669 clubs, painting an increasingly accurate picture of the global women's club football landscape," explained the world governing body.

Other key figures included in the report are:
• 91% of women's leagues are overseen by their federation or an affiliated entity, while only 7% operate independently and 2% are governed by an alternative structure;
• league revenues average $4.4m (€4m) in the top tier;
• the average salary is $24,030 (€22,043) in the top tier, with 16 major…