According to analysis by tax and consulting firm Blick Rothenberg, the Lioness’s historic 2025 victory will bring significant surprises not only to players but also to tax collectors in the UK, and HMRC is expected to receive £788,900 from the team’s prize money.
The average bonus per player is expected to be £73,000, which pushes its earnings up the £125,140 threshold, with the highest effective marginal tax rate of 47%. Blick Rothenberg director Robert Salter said this means players may pay about £34,300 in income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs) per person.
“The Lionesses will win the Euro 2025 Euro 2025 with their representatives and hard work,” Salter said. “However, they will have a huge tax bill that will pay the HMRC with bonuses.”
Salter noted that although lionesses still earn less than men, their game bonus is enough to trigger the highest tax rate in the UK. The 47% figure includes 45% income tax and 2% employee NIC.
In addition to the taxes paid by players, the Football Association (FA) is expected to face £255,000 of employer NIC responsibilities in the prize money, further increasing the overall gains of HMRC from the team’s success.
And the income is more than that. Many lionesses are expected to earn more income in the coming months, all of which will be subject to income tax. Salter said these post-game income, especially image rights and appearance fees, will continue to drive players’ taxable income, and with it the share of HMRC.
“Given their success and the continued growth in the image of the women’s game, their income is likely to increase significantly in the coming months,” Salter added. “HMRC will receive more tax ‘victories’ in the future.”
Although the Lionesses’ competitive victory is widely celebrated nationwide, their financial success on the court has also proven to be a Treasury victory – a reminder that even the sports competition win comes with a tax bill.
