The tussle among domestic soccer leagues to outdo one another is a never-ending tale. While the men’s game sees a much broader competition, the women’s side, on the other hand, is largely dominated by two major branches, the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League and the United Kingdom’s Women’s Super League, both constantly striving to stay ahead. On that note, the latest development sees the WSL implementing a significant change in player salaries after taking note of what the NWSL has promised its players for the future.

Apparently, the senior players in the Women’s Super League will now be guaranteed a minimum annual salary of £40,000 ($53,000) under new financial regulations introduced this season. At least, an exclusive report from Matt Hughes of The Guardian says so. This entire criterion is based on the player’s age and whether their club competes in WSL1 or WSL2.

So those who are aged 23 and above in the top division shall be liable to receive no less than the aforementioned number. As for those players who fall below this bracket, i.e., below 23 and competing in WSL 2, will pocket an undisclosed amount above the national living wage. That way, the stakeholders will be able to ensure that all players across the top two tiers can finally be fully professional.

This is quite a relieving update for all the WSL players, considering several Championship clubs reportedly paid below the minimum wage, forcing players to take on multiple jobs just to get by. One can recall the time when former Chelsea boss and current USWNT manager Emma Hayes revealed what she used to earn as a coach. “I worked in this job for six grand a year at one point, then 12 grand. Money’s never been my motivator in life.”

In fact, there have been countless stories from other players and coaches as well about actually finishing off with their training and quickly starting another job later in the day. But now, at least the players don’t have to make their lives hectic. Heck, the change is so drastic for them that the salary of a senior player is even higher than the minimum wage in the United States’ NWSL, which is $48,500 (£36,100) this year.

This only reinforces the WSL’s position at the top, making it a pre-eminent women’s league. So, in short, consider it a new bare minimum standard set for the sake of the players from the European league. Then again, they shall enjoy this title while it lasts!

NWSL has some promises too, despite key concerns

While it’s good to see WSL bring such a revolutionary change, the NWSL isn’t keen to stay behind. The Guardian also stated that the American women’s soccer league has committed to increasing its minimum salary to $82,500 by 2030. Not surprising, honestly, considering they are taking such kinds of initiatives only because of certain challenges that are ahead of them. For starters, English clubs are increasingly competing with their American counterparts to sign top players.

Like Chelsea breaking the bank twice this year to first sign Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave for $1.1 million and later Alyssa Thompson from Angel City for a club record fee of $1.4 million. Even rival clubs like Arsenal signed Canada’s Olivia Smith from Liverpool for $1.2 million in July before London City Lionesses raised the bar by paying close to $1.8 million to bring in Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain last month.

While mostly the players leave because of the grace the European league offers, there have been arguments multiple times that NWSL’s salary cap limits them from keeping hold of its players. Last year, it was $2.4 million, and this year it is set to $3.5 million per team. So, how can one expect the NWSL teams to retain players with a lucrative contract? Regardless, the only argument that Commissioner Jessica Berman had was, “We are quite confident that the value proposition that we offer to players is compelling, and we’ll continue to attract and retain the best players.”

Unlike other leagues, the WSL doesn’t have a strict salary cap. Instead, it follows a soft cap, allowing clubs to spend up to 40% of their revenue on player wages — including income from their parent men’s teams. However, these new minimum salary standards come with tighter financial regulations, restricting how much money owners can inject into their clubs. In fact, a report shared last month stated that the 2025-26 WSL will see clubs spend up to 80% of their women’s team’s revenue, plus a capped contribution from owners.

Now, many might believe that this might give an unfair advantage to wealthy clubs like London City Lionesses, who are backed by a billionaire and philanthropist, Michele Kang, also the owner of French champions OL Lyonnes, as well as NWSL’s Washington Spirit. However, that’s exactly why the WSL has set such rules in order to balance spending power between smaller teams and clubs backed by wealthy men’s sides.

But to also retain the interest of these rich owners to keep promoting investment, an additional funding cap of £4 million has been set by the WSL. This will allow independent owners to strengthen their squads without turning the league into a financial free-for-all. Quite an initiative. Then again, it’s no secret that the NWSL won’t be looking to make things better for its own good.

For now, the WSL players shall enjoy the benefits of this latest development. Don’t you think? Let us know in the comments below.