South America’s Women Footballers Face Hard Numbers at Copa América 2025

The 2025 Women’s Copa América in Quito, Ecuador, shows both the growth and the struggles of women’s football in South America. Ten teams are playing in three stadiums, with Brazil favored to win again after taking eight of the last nine titles.

This year, the tournament decides Olympic and Pan American spots, not World Cup places, making the stakes different for teams and sponsors. Most women footballers in South America still face tough conditions.

According to FIFPRO, only about a quarter can focus only on football. The rest must work or study outside the sport. Nearly half earn at or below the legal minimum wage, and more than a quarter get no salary at all.

Many lack basics like showers, hot water, or health insurance from their clubs. Sponsorship is still weak. The tournament has an official sponsor—a betting company—but big brands rarely invest.

Many clubs run women’s teams only because it is required for men’s competitions, not as a real business. That keeps the women’s game semi-professional.

Player pay remains low. FIFA says the global average for women’s footballers is $10,900 per year, but most in South America earn far less. In Colombia, national team players make between $370 and $494 per month.

In Argentina, first division women earn about $350 per month, similar to men in the fourth division. Still, interest is growing. Brazil’s Women’s World Cup audience reached 108 million in 2019, more than double previous years.

But most clubs still struggle to pay players or provide basics. Some field amateur teams or delay payments, always putting men’s football first when money is tight.

The 2025 Copa América Femenina highlights both the talent and the tough business reality for women’s football in South America.

The sport is gaining fans and attention, but real investment and better pay are needed for lasting change. For now, the numbers show a game that is growing, but still fighting for its place.

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