Fifpro's survey says women's football is racing toward a billion dollars while players battle low pay, shaky contracts and mounting stress.
African players are part of a global reckoning in women's football. A new Fifpro survey that includes them shows the game's fast-growing finances are not yet translating into stable, fairly paid careers for the women who drive it.
The headline is striking. Women's football is on course to become a billion-dollar industry, with growing investment, bigger audiences and rising commercial interest. But the survey suggests that money is not reaching many professionals, who still report low wages and insecure contracts.
There is also a human cost. Fifpro's findings point to rising psychological stress among players, who are juggling uncertain futures, financial pressure and the demands of elite competition. Passion and talent can only carry a career so far when the paperwork and paychecks don't back them up.
For African football, the message hits close to home. From the continent's domestic leagues to the stars building careers in Europe and beyond, many women are pushing the sport forward while the structures around them lag behind. The survey adds weight to the call for fairer contracts, better pay and stronger protections.
The billion-dollar projection shows how far the women's game has come. The question now is whether the industry will invest in the players who made that growth possible.
