Top women’s soccer players are having to juggle an increasing number of club and international matches, while having less time for rest and recovery, according to a report by the World Players’ Association.
The FIFPRO report released on Friday said the rise of women’s leagues around the world, the expansion of international competition fields and the addition of new tournaments are increasing the burden on elite athletes. However, the magazine also noted that there are significant disparities in the women’s game, with many players not getting enough match or training time, which can hinder their development and lead to injuries.
FIFPRO is calling for a more balanced competition calendar and increased protection for athletes at both ends of the workload, including mandatory rest periods.
“It’s a question of the calendar and the rhythm of the calendar, but it’s also a question of the conditions in which the games are played and the rest and recovery of the players,” said Alex Calvin, FIFPRO Director of Women’s Football. “We look at this as a very holistic view. The key is to grow the game sustainably, but also to allow players to be in an environment where they can grow.”
The report compiled data on 300 players from 30 leagues for the 2024-25 season. For the first time since FIFPRO began collecting workload data in 2020, the top 15 players have played more than 50 games.
The player who has played the most games among the game’s top players is Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bommatti, who played 60 games for Barcelona and Spain, with a recovery period of less than five days during 57% of the games. Bonmati I recently broke my fibula while training. He was playing against Spain and was expected to be out for at least five months.
It’s not just playing time that increases fatigue. Linda Caicedo, who plays for Real Madrid and Colombia, reportedly traveled 95,000 kilometers, or more than 59,000 miles, in 18 trips during the season.
At the same time, some players in the French and German top divisions have played only 13 or 14 games in the entire season, the report said.
Maitane Lopez, who plays in Spain with the Chicago Stars, said: “I was really worried when I read the overload data, but there was also an underload. This is reality.” “All the young players that come into the league, they’re really young and they haven’t had enough time to develop. And I think that’s important too, because we all want to win. The coaches want to win, the clubs want us to win. So if you don’t develop and take care of your players, that’s going to have an impact. And maybe not right now, but in the short term, long term it’s going to have a huge impact.”
Calvin said FIFPRO continues to advocate for mandatory rest periods within FIFA’s competitive calendar. However, the current women’s calendar is set until 2029.
“It’s really important to have untouchable rest periods in your calendar,” Calvin said.
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