Financial, mental health issues pushing women footballers towards early retirement

Almost half of women’s footballers are considering leaving the game early, with financial pressures and mental health struggles the main reasons, according to a Fifpro report highlighting the gulf between the sport’s rapid growth and conditions for most players.

The 2026 Fifpro Global Employment Report “Working Conditions in Women’s Football”, billed by the global players’ union as the most extensive review of working conditions in the women’s game in a decade, interviewed 800 players worldwide...