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Aug 27, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; FC Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas (center) takes a selfie with fans after the game against Bay FC at Paypal Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Who exactly is eligible for HIP money?

Originally posted on The Equalizer | Last updated Dec 23, 2025 6:46 PM ET

The National Women’s Soccer League’s official announcement of its new “High Impact Player” rule included the criteria that will be used to determine which players will qualify for the new roster mechanism. The criteria includes lists of the best players in the world from various media outlets, U.S. Women’s National Team playing time, and a list of the most marketable athletes in all sports. The mechanism is meant to give NWSL clubs more leverage in the global market for players, but the NWSL Players Association is vehemently against the new policy, with Executive Director Meghann Burke telling ESPN, “We just don’t feel that it delivers anything of value that simply increasing the team salary cap wouldn’t, without having negative consequences.”

With the criteria released, it is now possible to compile a list of which players would qualify for HIP classification. (The 2025 ESPN FC Top 50 football players in the world list has not been released yet. Upon its release, our list and statistics will be updated).

The Equalizer used the following sources to create our list:

2025 SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes
2025 Ballon d’Or voting (top 30 players)
2024 Ballon d’Or voting (top 30 players)
2025 Guardian Top 100 football players in the world (top 40 players)
2024 Guardian Top 100 football players in the world (top 40 players)
2024 ESPN FC Top 50 football players in the world (top 40 players)
2025 minutes played for the USWNT (top 11 field players, top 1 goalkeeper)
2024 minutes played for the USWNT (top 11 field players, top 1 goalkeeper)
2025 NWSL MVP Finalists
2024 NWSL MVP Finalists
2025 End of Year NWSL Best XI First Team
2024 End of Year NWSL Best XI First Team
FBref was used for club, country, and age statistics.

In total, 99 players qualify for HIP status at the moment.

The list includes 28 players from the United States, 13 from England, 12 from Spain, 7 each from France and Germany, and 6 from Brazil. 21 countries are represented on the list. Notable national teams with no representation on the list include Nigeria, Mexico, Canada, and Korea.

Confederations are represented very unevenly on the list. UEFA (Europe) leads the pack with 55 players—that’s over half the list. CONCACAF (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean) claims 30 players, CONMEBOL (South America) has 8, and AFC (Asia) and CAF (Africa) both have 3 each. Oceania has none.

Four clubs each have over 10 players on the list: Chelsea (14), Arsenal (11), Barcelona (11), and OL Lyonnes (11). 7 HIP-qualifying athletes play for the Kansas City Current, followed by Bayern Munich and NJ/NY Gotham with 6 each.

10 other NWSL clubs are represented on the list: Washington Spirit (5), Orlando Pride (3), Portland Thorns (3), Chicago Stars (2), Boston Legacy (1), Denver Summit (1), Houston Dash (1), North Carolina Courage (1), San Diego Wave (1) and Seattle Reign (1). Angel City, Bay, Racing Louisville, and Utah Royals are all without HIP players.

The Women’s Super League in England has almost as many players on the list—31—as the NWSL, which has 32. The Première Ligue in France has 14 players on the list. Liga F in Spain has 13, Frauen-Bundesliga in Germany has 7, and the Italian Serie A has 2. Amanda Gutierres, who qualifies on the list due to her inclusion in the Ballon D’Or 2025 top 30, played for Palmeiras in the Brasileirão Feminino in 2025 but will be playing for the Boston Legacy in 2026. We considered her an NWSL player in our statistical calculations.

The average age of the players on the list is 27. Five players were born in 1990 or before: Marta, Alyssa Naeher, Ann-Katrin Berger, Cristiana Girelli, and Casey Krueger. Four were born in 2005 or later: Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, Linda Caicedo, Olivia Moultrie.

Seven goalkeepers are on the list.

The HIP criteria includes placement on various lists “in the two (2) years prior to the current league season.” Thus, it is relevant to know which players are included on the list for only 2024 lists, and thus are at risk of falling off the list in 2027. (However, once a player signs an HIP contract, that status stays with them for the duration of the contract). 34 players on the list qualify with only 2024 criteria, not 2025. Those players include Croix Bethune, Sophia Wilson, Naomi Girma, Mallory Swanson, Tierna Davidson, Rose Lavelle, Casey Krueger, and Alyssa Naeher. This system seems to disadvantage players who take significant time off due to injury or pregnancy.

Most players qualify for HIP on more than one count. Temwa Chawinga, Lindsay Heaps, and Trinity Rodman all qualify under 8 criteria. Sophia Wilson, Barbra Banda, and Marta qualify under 7, and Lucy Bronze, Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro, and Alexia Putellas qualify under 6.

7 players have played in the NWSL, but no longer do: Tarciane, Lindsay Heaps, Naomi Girma, Alyssa Thompson, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Fox, and Steph Catley. There are 30 current NWSL players on the list, and 62 with no affiliation.

Here’s the full list of players with HIP status, as of December 23, 2025 (U.S. players in bold):