Transfer fees in women's football have risen sharply in recent years, with multiple record-breaking moves occurring within a short period. Milene Domingues set an early benchmark in 2002 with a fee around $310,000, a record that stood for almost two decades. In 2020 and 2025, the market advanced significantly as high-profile players commanded fees surpassing seven figures. Notable recent moves include Naomi Girma to Chelsea, Olivia Smith to Arsenal, and Lizbeth Ovalle to Orlando Pride for $1.5m. Despite rapid growth, women's records remain far below the men's global high-water marks.
In January 2025, USWNT defender Naomi Girma broke the $1 million barrier when she joined Chelsea from San Diego Wave in a deal worth around £900,000 ($1.1m). But then, less than two months after winning the UEFA Women's Champions League, Arsenal broke the £1 million barrier to sign striker Olivia Smith from Women's Super League rivals Liverpool for £1.1m ($1.33m.) And now, Mexico forward Lizbeth Ovalle has moved the record on again with a $1.5m transfer from Tigres to NWSL side Orlando Pride.
*All fees are approximate and based on reporting, but unconfirmed by clubs Milene Domingues - Fiammamonza to Rayo Vallecano $310,000 (€235,000), 2002 Also known as "Mika," the Brazil international became the first women's player to command a fee above €200,000 when she left Italian club Fiammamonza to sign for Rayo Vallecano in 2002. The midfielder moved to be with her then-husband, Selecao legend Ronaldo Nazario, who also left Italy for Spain in order to join Real Madrid. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out due to a Spanish FA rule stating that clubs were prohibited from fielding foreign players in competitive matches. Milene therefore never played a single game for Rayo and instead was given dispensation to fly back to Italy to rejoin Fiammamonza. Nevertheless, she held on to the world transfer record for almost two decades.
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