First, the headline figure. England’s senior Lionesses earn a basic annual salary of around £90,000 to £120,000 from the FA. That’s solid. That’s a very nice house in most of the UK, a decent car, and enough leftover for an embarrassing amount of takeaway. But here’s the kicker: that’s their base pay for playing for England—a contract that covers camps, matches, and a chunk of their time. It’s not the eye-watering millions their male counterparts pull down, but it’s way more than your average PE teacher earns. Think of it as “solidly comfortable” rather than “I own a small island.”
But wait—there’s a twist. That salary does not include their club wages. Most Lionesses play for top clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, or Barcelona. Their club pay ranges from £30,000 to £200,000 or more per year, depending on the league and their star power. So a top Lioness like Lucy Bronze or Beth Mead is effectively earning a double income: one from the FA, one from her club. It’s like having two jobs, except both involve running very fast in shorts. Suddenly, the takeaway budget looks a bit healthier.
The Big Fat Match Fees (and Bonuses)
Here’s where it gets fun. On top of that salary, each Lioness gets a match fee for playing. For a friendly, it’s around £2,000 per game. For a competitive match like a World Cup qualifier? That jumps to about £5,000. And if they win a major tournament? Cha-ching. The FA paid out a whopping £187,000 per player after winning Euro 2026. That’s not a bonus; that’s a life-changing, “I can finally fix my mum’s roof” kind of sum. It’s also roughly the cost of one week of Premier League superstar wages, but hey, we’re not comparing apples to… golden pineapple-shaped yachts.
But here’s a hilarious, painful fact: until 2026, the Lionesses were paid nothing for playing for England. Zilch. Zero. They got expenses covered and a tracksuit. Compare that to the men’s team, who’ve been collecting six-figure match fees for decades. The women’s team literally had to sit down with the FA and say, “Look, we’ve won the Euros, we’re selling out Wembley, and we still can’t afford to quit our side gigs.” They won that fight, and now they’ve got a proper contract. But the fact they had to fight at all is the most British thing ever: polite revolution with a penalty shootout.
