This page compares men’s and women’s soccer across pay, investment, competition, and performance, showing how differences in participation and commercial scale shape what fans and athletes see. You’ll also find evidence on where bodies experience unequal risk, including higher injury and concussion rates in women, plus distinct patterns in workload and physical outputs like speed and endurance. We then connect these factors to how elite play looks on the pitch, from possession to shots on target.
Key Takeaways
- Average salary top male player $20 million/year vs top female $500k
- Total revenue men's EPL $7 billion vs WSL $50 million (2023)
- Prize money men's World Cup $440 million vs women's $110 million (2023)
- ACL injury rate men's soccer 0.3 per 1000 hours vs women's 0.7 (2.3x higher)
- Concussion incidence male pros 1 per 1000 hours vs female 2.5 per 1000
- Hamstring injury risk women 2x higher than men in soccer
- High-speed running (>25 km/h) men 250m vs women 150m per match
- Average goals per match men's World Cup 2.7 vs women's 2.9 (2023)
- Possession average men's Premier League 52% vs women's WSL 48%
- Number of registered male soccer players worldwide 265 million vs female 40 million (2023 FIFA)
- Men's World Cup 2022 TV viewers 5 billion cumulative vs Women's 2023 2 billion
- Professional male leagues 200+ countries vs female 50+ countries with pro leagues
- Average peak sprint speed in men's elite soccer matches is 34.7 km/h compared to 30.2 km/h in women's elite matches
- Men's soccer players cover an average distance of 10.5 km per match vs 9.8 km for women
- Average VO2 max for male professional soccer players is 60-65 ml/kg/min vs 50-55 ml/kg/min for females
Men’s soccer leads in pay, revenue, and exposure, while women’s soccer shines with strong performances despite fewer resources.
Related reading
01 · Category
Financial And Commercial22 stats
01
Average salary top male player $20 million/year vs top female $500k
02
Total revenue men's EPL $7 billion vs WSL $50 million (2023)
03
Prize money men's World Cup $440 million vs women's $110 million (2023)
04
Sponsorship deals male clubs $1 billion EPL vs women's $100 million
05
Average player salary men's MLS $400k vs NWSL $55k
06
Commercial revenue men's UCL $2.5 billion vs UWCL $50 million
07
Transfer fees record male $222 million vs female $4.5 million
08
TV rights men's Serie A $1 billion vs women's $20 million
09
Merchandise sales male jerseys $500 million PL vs women's $50 million
10
Endorsement earnings Messi $130 million vs Alex Morgan $8 million
11
League market value men's Bundesliga €5 billion vs Frauen €100 million
12
Bonus for World Cup win men's $40 million/team vs women's $10 million
13
Investment in women's soccer $1 billion cumulative vs men's trillions
14
Pay gap top 1% male $10m+ vs female $1m max
15
Gate receipts men's UCL final $50 million vs women's $5 million
16
Agent fees male transfers $200 million/year EPL vs women's $10 million
17
Equity stakes clubs male 100% pro vs women 20% funded
18
Title sponsorships men's leagues $500 million vs women's $100 million
19
Pension contributions pro males full vs females minimal
20
Social media followers top male club 100m vs female 10m
21
Betting turnover men's matches $100 billion global vs women's $5 billion
22
Stadium naming rights male $50 million deals vs women rare
Interpretation
Financial And Commercial Interpretation
Across these Financial And Commercial figures, men’s leagues and tournaments consistently dwarf women’s by one to two orders of magnitude, such as men’s EPL bringing in about $7 billion versus the WSL’s $50 million in 2023 and men’s top players earning $20 million per year compared with $500k for top women.
02 · Category
Injuries And Health20 stats
01
ACL injury rate men's soccer 0.3 per 1000 hours vs women's 0.7 (2.3x higher)
02
Concussion incidence male pros 1 per 1000 hours vs female 2.5 per 1000
03
Hamstring injury risk women 2x higher than men in soccer
04
Ankle sprain rate female soccer 3.5 per 1000 hours vs male 2.0
05
Stress fracture incidence females 20% higher due to menstrual factors
06
Recovery time ACL tear males 9 months vs females 12 months average
07
Groin injury prevalence women 15% vs men 12% per season
08
Overuse injury rate elite female soccer 40% vs male 30%
09
Quadriceps strain incidence male 8% vs female 12% injuries
10
Head injury reporting female players 30% underreported vs male 20%
11
Menstrual cycle impact on injury risk 1.5x higher in luteal phase for women
12
Return to play success post-ACL men 85% vs women 75%
13
Calf injury rate women's NWSL 10% vs MLS men 7%
14
Illness absence days female teams 20% more than male
15
Shoulder dislocation soccer women 2x men due to contact
16
Fatigue-related injuries late match women 25% vs men 18%
17
Bone stress injury female soccer players 15% career vs male 8%
18
Knee osteoarthritis post-career women 35% vs men 25%
19
Hydration status dehydration injuries women 1.8x men
20
Nutritional deficiency iron low in 40% female vs 10% male soccer players
Interpretation
Injuries And Health Interpretation
Injuries and health patterns in soccer show women generally face higher injury burdens, with ACL rates of 0.7 versus 0.3 per 1000 hours and concussion incidence of 2.5 versus 1.0 per 1000 hours, underscoring the need for gender tailored prevention and care.
03 · Category
Match Performance29 stats
01
High-speed running (>25 km/h) men 250m vs women 150m per match
02
Average goals per match men's World Cup 2.7 vs women's 2.9 (2023)
03
Possession average men's Premier League 52% vs women's WSL 48%
04
Shots on target per game men EPL 5.2 vs women WSL 3.8
05
Pass completion rate men's UCL 88% vs women's UWCL 82%
06
Tackles per match male pros 15.2 vs female 12.4
07
Dribbles completed per game men 8.5 vs women 6.7 in top leagues
08
Corners per match men's Serie A 10.1 vs women's Serie A 8.3
09
Fouls committed per game male La Liga 11.5 vs female Liga F 10.2
10
Headers won per match men Bundesliga 12.4 vs women 9.1
11
Interceptions per 90 mins men's MLS 1.2 vs women's NWSL 1.0
12
Goals from set pieces % men's World Cup 28% vs women's 22%
13
Average match duration high-intensity periods men 45 mins vs women 38 mins
14
Successful crosses per game male EPL 6.2 vs WSL 4.5
15
Blocks per match men UCL 12.8 vs women 9.6
16
Clearances per game male Bundesliga 18.5 vs Frauen-Bundesliga 14.2
17
Goals conceded per match men's top leagues 1.2 vs women's 1.5
18
Clean sheets % men's Serie A 35% vs women's 28%
19
xG per match men's EPL 1.45 vs WSL 1.20
20
Duels won % male La Liga 52% vs female 49%
21
Aerial duels won per game men 15.3 vs women 10.8
22
Progressive passes per 90 male UCL 6.5 vs UWCL 5.2
23
Key passes per match men's MLS 10.1 vs NWSL 8.4
24
Offsides per game male Premier League 2.1 vs WSL 1.8
25
Throw-ins per match men 40 vs women 35 average
26
Free kicks won per game Bundesliga men 12 vs Frauen 10
27
Penalties awarded per season men's UCL 0.3 per team vs women's 0.2
28
Average goals by position: men's strikers 0.45 per 90 vs women's 0.35
29
Assists per game midfielders men 0.25 vs women 0.18
Interpretation
Match Performance Interpretation
Across match performance metrics, men generally show higher intensity and control with higher high speed running 250m versus 150m and more shots on target 5.2 versus 3.8, while women slightly edge goals per match at 2.9 versus 2.7.
More related reading
04 · Category
Participation And Viewership23 stats
01
Number of registered male soccer players worldwide 265 million vs female 40 million (2023 FIFA)
02
Men's World Cup 2022 TV viewers 5 billion cumulative vs Women's 2023 2 billion
03
Professional male leagues 200+ countries vs female 50+ countries with pro leagues
04
Youth male academy players in Europe 500k vs female 100k
05
Women's Euro 2022 attendance 1.5 million vs men's Euro 2020 5.8 million
06
US male college soccer players 25k vs female 25k (parity in NCAA)
07
Global club licenses male 300k vs female 50k
08
Women's Super League England average attendance 2023 7k vs men's PL 40k
09
Olympic soccer men viewership 1.2 billion vs women 500 million 2020
10
Female soccer participation growth 20% annual vs male 5%
11
Number of female national teams FIFA 187 vs male 211
12
Men's Champions League final TV audience 450 million vs women's 90 million
13
Brazil male youth players registered 10 million vs female 1.5 million
14
NWSL average attendance 2023 8k vs MLS 20k
15
Women's World Cup final 2023 viewers 75 million live vs men's 1.5 billion 2022
16
Female coaches in pro leagues 2% vs male 98%
17
Grassroots female programs FIFA 1 million girls vs 10 million boys
18
Liga MX Femenil attendance avg 5k vs men's 25k
19
Referees female FIFA 400 vs male 3000
20
Women's AFC Asian Cup viewers 200 million vs men's 1 billion
21
Club World Cup men attendance 100k total vs no equivalent women
22
Female fans Premier League 25% vs overall growth to 40%
23
CONCACAF Gold Cup men viewers 150 million vs W Gold Cup 50 million
Interpretation
Participation And Viewership Interpretation
Across participation and viewership, men still lead with 265 million registered players worldwide compared with 40 million for women, and this gap is echoed in the biggest tournaments where the Men’s World Cup 2022 drew 5 billion cumulative TV viewers versus 2 billion for the Women’s 2023.
05 · Category
Physical Performance30 stats
01
Average peak sprint speed in men's elite soccer matches is 34.7 km/h compared to 30.2 km/h in women's elite matches
02
Men's soccer players cover an average distance of 10.5 km per match vs 9.8 km for women
03
Average VO2 max for male professional soccer players is 60-65 ml/kg/min vs 50-55 ml/kg/min for females
04
Men's shot speed averages 120 km/h vs 85 km/h for women's shots in top leagues
05
Vertical jump height for male soccer players averages 55 cm vs 45 cm for females
06
Average grip strength in male soccer players is 50 kg vs 32 kg in females
07
Men's 30m sprint time averages 3.9 seconds vs 4.4 seconds for women in soccer academies
08
Quadriceps strength ratio male:female in soccer is 1.7:1
09
Average heart rate peak in men's matches 190 bpm vs 185 bpm in women's
10
Lean body mass percentage male soccer players 80% vs 68% female
11
Hamstring to quadriceps strength ratio higher in males at 0.65 vs 0.55 in females
12
Average high-intensity running distance men 800m vs women 650m per match
13
Bone mineral density in soccer males 1.25 g/cm² vs 1.10 g/cm² females
14
Repeated sprint ability: males complete 6 sprints in 28s vs females 30s
15
Aerobic power output males 5.5 W/kg vs 4.2 W/kg females
16
Eccentric hamstring strength males 2.8 Nm/kg vs 2.1 Nm/kg females
17
Change of direction speed males 2.15s for 5-0-5 test vs 2.35s females
18
Muscle fiber type distribution fast-twitch males 55% vs 48% females in soccer
19
Anaerobic threshold velocity males 18 km/h vs 15.5 km/h females
20
Peak torque knee extension males 280 Nm vs 190 Nm females
21
Total work in Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test males level 21 vs females level 19
22
Flexibility in sit-and-reach test males 25 cm vs females 32 cm (higher in females)
23
Reaction time auditory males 220 ms vs females 230 ms in soccer players
24
Power output countermovement jump males 50 W/kg vs 40 W/kg females
25
Blood lactate peak after sprint males 12 mmol/L vs 10 mmol/L females
26
Core endurance plank test males 180s vs females 150s
27
Shoulder strength bench press males 1.2 kg/body wt vs 0.8 kg females
28
Agility T-test time males 8.9s vs females 9.6s
29
Maximal oxygen uptake at altitude males 58 ml/kg/min vs 48 ml/kg/min females
30
Isokinetic strength at 60°/s males 2.5 Nm/kg vs 1.9 Nm/kg females
Interpretation
Physical Performance Interpretation
In physical performance, men show clear advantages across key measures, such as higher peak sprint speed at 34.7 km/h versus 30.2 km/h and greater average vertical jump height of 55 cm versus 45 cm, indicating faster and more explosive athletic output in elite soccer.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Male Vs Female Soccer Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-vs-female-soccer-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Male Vs Female Soccer Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/male-vs-female-soccer-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Male Vs Female Soccer Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-vs-female-soccer-statistics.
Sources & references
56 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level