FIFPRO survey finds 49% of respondents considering early exit from women’s football
A FIFPRO survey of 800 players found 49% were considering leaving football earlier than planned, with financial pressures and psychological stress prominent, The Guardian reported on 12 October 2026.
In short
- A FIFPRO survey of 800 players found 49% were considering leaving football earlier than planned, with financial pressures and psychological stress prominent, The Guardian reported on 12 October 2026.
Nearly half of the 800 players interviewed for a FIFPRO study said they were considering ending their football careers earlier than planned, according to a Guardian report published on 12 October 2026.
The newspaper’s account of the players’ union’s 2026 global employment report said 49% of respondents were considering an early departure. Among that group, 59% cited financial circumstances and 46% cited psychological stress. Those figures describe the surveyed players, rather than all women playing football.
The findings also point to gaps in employment protection: 56% of respondents had an employment contract and 13% received a club pension. Average contract length had increased from 12 months in the union’s 2017 study to 19 months.
FIFPRO is seeking enforceable minimum standards for pay, facilities, staffing and healthcare in national employment agreements, alongside mandatory psychological support, the Guardian reported.
The study highlights a challenge for the growing women’s game: improvements in some employment measures coexist with insecure conditions for many of the players surveyed.
