There is a genuine interest in football in Africa, but because the women’s game is a long way from being fully professional, players are unable to dedicate all their energies to the game and are often forced to play outside the continent to make a decent living.

The Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) survey of member associations shows that in 2022 only 12 of Africa’s national leagues had contracts with all their players. Of those 12, only 4 national leagues paid all their players a salary.

A player survey by Fifpro, a trade union representing international professional footballers, showed that over one-third of Caf’s female footballers believed payments need ‘extreme improvement’. The same survey showed that around 29% of female international players were not paid for participating in World Cup qualifying matches. Two-thirds had to take unpaid leave or holiday leave from another job to play for their national team.