𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

England are once again European champions, this time at Euro 2025, but there remains a significant pay gap when it comes to what the Lionesses players earn financially this summer.

The Lionesses reached a third consecutive major final in a row and they became the first England team in history to successfully defend a trophy when they beat world champions Spain, in a dramatic penalty shootout in Basel.

Chloe Kelly was the hero, firing in the spot-kick to ensure the defending champions retained their crown, but every English player had to dig deep to thwart a Spanish side who were best everywhere except on the final scoreboard.

When the game finished 1-1 and the penalty shootout awaited, the English players seemed relaxed and confident, with their Spanish counterparts looking slightly more on edge.

The Spaniards had the game in the palms of their hands for 120 minutes, but it began slipping away as Hannah Hamton started to save their spot-kicks, first from Caldentey and then from Bonmati, before Paralluelo fired her effort wide.

Kelly made no mistake, lashing the ball into the net as the English fans in the stadium erupted in joy.

Hampton said: “This is England, I think this is our moment, we’ve dug in for the 120 minutes, we’ve done what we needed to do to keep Spain out. It was just one kick and that was it and so we did that this time.”

Euro 2025 prize money

Before the start of Euro 2025, Uefa confirmed record prize money of €41m (£34m) for the 16-team tournament. It represents an increase of 156 per cent on the prize money offered at Euro 2022, when it stood at just €16m.

England’s federation received just over €2m when the Lionesses lifted Euro 2022 but the Euro 2025 champions take home up to €5.1m, when performance bonuses are added on top of a base participation fee of €1.8m awarded to all teams at the tournament.

The total prize money on offer at the men’s Euro 2024 was €331m, with the champions Spain winning a maximum of €28.25m. The participation prize money for all 24 teams at the men’s Euros was €9.25m.

Player bonuses

Before Euro 2025, Uefa’s executive committee confirmed that participating teams would be required to distribute between 30 to 40 per cent of their prize money received at the tournament to the players for the first time, in a move that mirrored the agreement announced by Fifa ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The Lionesses also reached an agreement with the Football Association (FA) over performance-related bonuses before the Euros, avoiding a repeat of the row that broke out in the lead up to England reaching the World Cup final two years ago. The Guardian reported that England’s players would receive a collective bonus of £1.75m if they win Euro 2025.

The agreement with the FA ensures that England players can receive a performance-related bonus from their national association, on top of their guaranteed cut of the prize money distributed by Uefa.

Are England’s players paid per match?

England’s players receive what is essentially a nominal fee of around £2,000 per match and there has been equal pay between the men’s and women’s national teams since 2020. Most donate this to charity but they are not required to.

Top England internationals playing in the Women’s Super League can receive annual salaries that are in the low six figures, while top England internationals in the Premier League are able to double that in one week.

It was also also reported that the England men’s team who reached the Euro 2024 final last summer would have shared a bonus pot of £14m had they beaten Spain in the Berlin final.

Of course, many Lionesses players can boost their incomes through sponsorships and paid partnerships. However, the reliance on social media to generate additional income may put some players in a difficult position at a time when members of the squad are advocating for a social media boycott following the racist abuse suffered by Jess Carter at the tournament.