Women in football agency remain a minority, and the gap is wider than most people realise. Roughly 5% of the 10,525 licensed football agents worldwide were women as of December 2025. Women’s football attracts more investment every year, yet most of the people negotiating the contracts are still men.
How Wide Is the Gender Gap in Football Agency?
FIFA issued 5,319 licences in its 2023 licensing period, and 95.2% of those newly licensed agents were male1.
The exam is the same for everyone, and it is hard for everyone, with an 18% pass rate reported last year. So the gap does not start at the exam. It starts earlier, with who hears about agency as a career and who gets introduced to the right people.
The Barriers Female Football Agents Face
Four barriers come up again and again.
- Networks. Agency runs on referrals. Clubs, sporting directors, scouts and lawyers pass opportunities to people they know, and those circles have historically been male. Which means women sometimes have to work harder to be in the room.
- Credibility. Players and their families trust agents with careers and money. You may face assumptions about your negotiating skill or football knowledge that male peers rarely meet, especially when you represent male players.
- Visibility. Few women hold influential agency roles, so there are fewer examples to follow. Pragati Banka, India’s first woman licensed by FIFA as an agent, says she has few female role models or mentors to learn from.
- Workload. Travel, match attendance and constant availability weigh on every agent. Caregiving expectations and thin institutional support can make it heavier for women.
Why This Is a Strong Moment for Women in Football Agency
More money is moving into the women’s game. FIFA’s 2025 agents report now has a dedicated section on women’s professional football, where agents represented players in 664 international transfers. Club spending on agent services in women’s professional football more than doubled to over USD 6.2 million in 20252. Wasserman has expanded by acquiring specialist agencies and signing stars like Alessia Russo. TransferRoom has launched a Women’s Marketplace for clubs and verified agents.
You also do not have to stay in the women’s game. You can represent male players, manage image rights, negotiate endorsements, advise on life after football or handle international placements. Rafaela Pimenta, who represents Erling Haaland, is the only football entry on Forbes’ 2026 “50 over 50” list. Her advice to young women is blunt: “Don’t take abuse”.
How to Become a Female Football Agent
The licensing process is not gender-specific. You apply, you sit the same FIFA exam as every other candidate, and a you target the 75% pass mark. What the exam does care about is preparation. Last year’s pass rate was 18%, so your FIFA Agent Exam Preparation matters now more than ever.
Our FIFA Agent Exam Preparatory Course is built for exactly that. It breaks down all the regulations you need to know through video lessons as well as a synchronized syllabus that fits into your schedule, then you get to sit timed, exam-style questions and see your score straight afterwards, so the pressure feels familiar before exam day.
Why Women in Football Agency Need Networks and Mentors
Knowledge gets you licensed, but relationships get you clients. A mentor who has walked the path can save you years of trial and error, and a strong network opens doors that qualifications alone will not.
The Ball Business Community has a dedicated Women Network for women in sports. You can connect with female agents, sports lawyers, marketers, administrators and executives, who are breaking grounds while navigating their way in the sport industry.
What the Industry Needs to Change
Agencies should recruit more deliberately and give new women real exposure to deals. Experienced agents should share access, not only advice. Women already succeeding in the business should get more platforms to speak, and training should be easy to reach.
The gender gap in football agency is a problem, and it is also an opening. The next generation of role models is qualifying now, and you can be one of them.