Who actually has the right to get HIP money?– Soccer Equalizer

The women's national soccer team's official announcement of its new "High Impact Player" rule included the criteria that will be used to determine which players will be eligible for the new roster.The benchmarks include lists of the world's best players from various media, playing time for the US women's national team, and lists of the most marketable athletes in all sports.The arrangement is intended to give NWSL clubs more leverage in the international player market, but the NWSL Players Association opposes the new policy, with executive director Meghann Burke telling ESPN: "We don't think it offers any value that simply raising the team's salary cap wouldn't, without negative consequences."

With the publication of the criteria, it is now possible to list players who fit the HIP classification.The Equalizer used the following sources to create our list:

- 2025 SportsPro Media Top 150 players with the highest market value

- 2025 Ballon d'Or voting (top 30 players)

- 2024 Ballon d'Or voting (top 30 players)

- 2025 Guardian 100 best footballers in the world (top 40 players)

- 2024 Guardian World's 100 Best Football Players (Top 40 Players)

- 2025 ESPN FC World's Top 50 Soccer Players (Top 40 Players)

- 50 best footballers in the world ESPN FC 2024 (top 40 players)

- 2,025 minutes played for USWNT (Top 11 players, Top 1 goalkeeper)

- USWNT 2024 minutes played (top 11 outfield players, top 1 goaltender)

- NWSL 2025 MVP Finalist

- NWSL 2024 MVP finalists

- Best NWSL First Team XI at the end of 2025

- The first team of the NWSL best XI in 2024

- FBref was used for club, country and age statistics.

Currently, a total of 102 players have HIP status.

There are 28 players from America, 15 from England, 13 from Spain, seven from France and Germany and six from Brazil in this list.

The continental confederations are unevenly represented on the list.UEFA leads the group with 58 players, more than half the list.CONCACAF (North America, Central America and Caribbean) has 30 players, CONMEBOL (South America) 8, and ASIA (Asia) and CAF (Africa) 3 each.Oceania has none.

Four clubs have more than 10 players: Chelsea (15), Barcelona (12), Arsenal (11) and OL Lyonnes (11).Seven HIP-rated players play for Kansas City Current, followed by Bayern Munich and NJ/NY Gotham with 6 players each.

There are ten other NWSL clubs 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 Power (1), San Diego Wave (1) and Seattle Reign (1).Angel City, Bay Area Racing, Louisville and Utah Royals do not have HIP players.

The Women's Super League in England has 33 more players on the list than the NWSL, which has 32. The Premier League in France and Liga F in Spain both have 14 HIP-compatible players.Germany has 7 in the Frauen-Bundesliga, and 2 in the Italian Serie A.Amanda Gutiérrez, who qualifies for this list due to her inclusion in the Ballon d'Or 2025 top 30, played for Palmeras in the Brasileirao Feminino in 2025, but will play in her Bostástico 2025.Wacalculation player in our NWSL.

The average age of the players on the list is 27 years old. Five players were born in 1990 or earlier: Marta, Alisa Nahr, Ann-Kathrin Berger, Christiana Gerli and Casey Krueger.Six were born in 2005 or later: Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, Vicky Lopez, Michelle Agyeming, Linda Cicado and Olivia Moultrie.

Seven goalkeepers are on the list.

The HIP criteria includes positions on lists "in the two (2) years preceding the current league season," so it's important to know which players are only on the top players list in 2024 and are at risk of falling off the list in 2027 (however,(Once a player signs a HIP contract, that status stays with them for the duration of the contract.) Thirty-two players on the list qualify only for 2024, not 2025. These players include Croix Bethune, Sophia Wilson, Naomi Girma, Mallory Swanson, Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, and Alyssa Naeher. This system appears to be disadvantageous for players who take a lot of 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 9 criteria.Barbra Banda and Marta qualify under 8, and Lucy Bronze, Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, and Sophia Wilson qualify under 7.

Seven players played in the NWSL, but did not progress: Tarciane, Lindsay Heaps, Naomi Girma, Alyssa Thompson, Emily Fox and Stephen Catley.There are 30 current NWSL players on the list, and 65 without a contract.

Here is the full list of players with HIP status as of December 23, 2025 (US players in bold):

-Michelle Agyemang

- Selma is a grandmother

- Sandy Baltimore

——Barbara Banda

- Vidi Batlle

- Aggie Beaver-Jones

- Ann-Katrin Berger

- Croissant

- Stina Blackstenius

- Aitana Bonmati

- Juleld

- Millie Bright

- Lucy Bronze

- Klara Bühl

- Linda Caicedo

- Mariona Caldanti

- Sophia Cantore

- Olga Carmona

- Delphine Cascarino

-Steve Catley

— Temva Khavinga

- Tabitha Chawinga

- Sam Kopi

-Cata Coll

— Eryn Cuthbert

- Gentle Davidson

- Kadidiatou Diani

- Claudia Dickey

- Melchie Dumornay

- Merriam Earps

- Emily Fox

- Grace Gayoro

- Cristiana Girelli

-Noemi Germa

-Manuela Giugliano

- Esther Gonzalez

- Carolyn Graham Hanson

- Alex Greenwood

- Patri Guijarro

- Amanda Gutierrez

— Julia Gwynn

- Hannah Hampton

- Pernille Harder

- Hasegawa Yui

- Lindsay montones

- Ada Hegerberg

- Lauren Hemp

- Claire Hutton

- Lauren James

- Marie-Anne and Rice, Transition

-Chloe Kelly

- Casey Kruger

- Kaleigh Kurtz

- Rose Lavelle

- Mapi León

- Vicky Lopez

- Frieda Manum

- Caterina Macario

- Clara Matteo

- Information

- Katie McCabe

- Tara McKeown

- Beth Mead

- Olivia Moultrie

-Alyssa Naeher

- Jenna Nayswinger

- Own noses

-eva pajour

- Salma Paralluelo

- Irene Paredes

- Avery Patterson

- Claudia Pina

- Alexandra Pope

——Gabby Portillo

- Alexia Putellas

- Mayra Ramirez

- Guru Riten

- Utato Rodman

- Izzi Rodrigues

- Fridolina Rolfo

- Alessia Russo

- Johanna Lütting Kanerid

-Emily Sons

-Lea Schüller

- Ali Centonor

- Kala Sharpless

- Khadija Shaw

- Corbin Schrader

- Emily Sonnett

- Georgia Stanway

-Mallory Swanson

- Alyssa Thompson

- Glódís Viggósdóttir

- Kiera Walsh

- Carolyn Weir

- Leah Williamson

-Sophia Wilson

- Lily Yohannes

- Bia Zaneratto

Finally, the following are notable players who do not qualify for HIP status, including six former NWSL MVPs (US players)

- Rebecca Bernal

- Lynn Biendolo

- Jess Carter

- UMichelle Cooper

- by dali

- Crystal Dunn

- Jess Fishlock

- Mary Fowler

- Vanessa Gilles

-Sarah Gordon

- Mikha Beach

- Sam Kerr

- Rosemond Cousy

- Racheal Kundananji

- Waiau Laboored Royal Lahonoa

- Chloe Lacy

- Adriana Leon

- Sidney Leroux

- Kim Little

- Gift Monday

- Esma Morgan

- Nazareth

- Esther Okoronkwo

- Diana Ordoñez

- Lisbeth Ovalle

- Midge Pers

- Lilly Reale

-Leicy Santos

- Emma Sears

- Shaw ws

- Olivia Smith

- Maria Sanchez

- Hina too

- My Tanakas

- Riley Tiernan

- Falon Tullis-Joyce

This story was updated in 2025.24 December to reflect 2025ESPN FC's 50 Best Soccer Players in the World.