The job of a soccer referee is a tedious one and as such will make every man in the middle get the sticks for every call made in a game because the fans simply want every decision to go their way.
Every time, spectators and the media (to a larger extent) are not being fair with referees and as a result, underappreciate their efforts because they (referees) do not have the benefit of slow-motion replays and close-up camera angles.
Also, every soccer referee is expected to follow and apply the rules guiding the game at the drop of a hat to the latter.
While making sure that the rule of the game prevails, the job of a match official becomes an unforgiving one where players, managers, fans, and the media inherently dislike the referee.
Some calls, the referee had made in the past would appear to make the efforts of their players and teams unrewarding one. But has soccer ever been fair to anyone?
Despite this, thousands of people who are referees turn up almost every day to perform their task of sustaining the rule of the game and also make sure that the spirit of sportsmanship is alive even after 90 minutes.
How much does a soccer referee make a year? Do you know the referee’s salary in 2023? In this article, we will help you learn about the factors surrounding soccer referees’ pay.
First published on Dec 10 2022, updated Sept 3 2024
- How Much Do Football Referees Get Paid?
- How Much Do Premier League Referees Get Paid?
- How Much Do La Liga Referees Get Paid?
- How Much Do Ligue 1 Referees Get Paid?
- How Much Will Referees In Qatar 2022 World Cup Get Paid?
- Who are the most famous former Premier League referees?
- Who Are The 10 Best Soccer Referees in 2022/23?
- Who Is The Most Feared Referee In The World?
- Who is the Strongest Referee in The World?
- Who is the youngest referee in the world?
- Who is the oldest football referee?
- Can a 14-year-old be a referee?
- Who is the youngest referee in the Premier League?
- How do I become a referee?
How Much Do Football Referees Get Paid?
Referees make an average of $28,940 a year.
The starting pay for a soccer referee is $25 per game and the maximum annual income ranges between $50,000 and above. The lowest-paid soccer referees are those officiating in youth and amateur leagues, while FIFA World Cup officials earn the most pay.
FIFA Referees
Let’s begin with FIFA Referees. According to an exposè in 2015, for many FIFA officials, refereeing is not a full-time job.
World Cup referees make $50,000 for the tournament, which spans over a month but it’s only awarded to the 10 best FIFA Referees. As not all FIFA referees are granted this type of financial reward because many referees hold full-time or part-time in addition to refereeing international matches.
UEFA Champions League Match Refs
Champions League officials are usually selected based on their performance levels from different countries. It’s safe to say that the best and most controversial refs can be found in Europe.
They are the best-paid officials after FIFA World Cup Referees. In 2018, a report was published about the Champions League referee selection. The elite panel official earns more money than every referee selected for EURO 2020.
The Elite is a professional level for referees who has 5-7 years of experience in football league careers. They are selected for the big matches of the knockout round, semifinals, round of 16, and finals.
The elite category referees are paid $7,000-$8,000 per match.
Those officials in the Elite panel earn $14,000. The match referee pockets $8,000, the assistant referee goes home with $2500 and the fourth official takes home $1,000.
Referee Salary In Major Leagues
| Pro Soccer Leagues | Soccer Referee’s Salary |
| MLS | Approx. $55k per year |
| Premier League | $1800 + Per Game + a retainer of $35k to 45k PA |
| La Liga | $6300 + Per Game |
| Bundesliga | $3800 + Per Game |
| Ligue 1 | $2900 + Per Game |
| Serie A | $3600 + Per Game |
| Uefa Champions League | $850 to $8000 Per Game |
Champions League Referees Salaries 2024
| Category | Match Referee | Assistant Referee | Fourth Referee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elite | $8,000 | $2,500 | $1,000 |
| Elite Development | $5,500 | $1,500 | $750 |
| First | $3,250 | $1,000 | $550 |
| Second | $1,500 | $650 | $350 |
| Third | $1,000 | $450 | $200 |
READ ALSO: Top Best Referees In Europe From 2015 – Till Date
UEFA Champions League Referees Fee Per Match
| Referees | Category | Match Fee | Expected Earnings in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damir Skomina | Elite | $10,000 | $1,40,000 |
| Cuneyt Cakır | Elite | $10,000 | $1,20,000 |
| Bjorn Kuipers | Elite | $10,000 | $1,20,000 |
| Danny Makkelie | Elite | $8,000 | $96,000 |
| Antonio Mateu Lahoz | Elite | $8,000 | $96,000 |
| Dr. Felix Brych | Elite | $10,000 | $1,20,000 |
| Daniele Orsato | Elite | $8,000 | $96,000 |
| Gianluca Rocchi | Elite | $8,000 | $96,000 |
| Clement Turpin | Elite | $10,000 | $1,20,000 |
| William Collum | Elite | $8,000 | $96,000 |
| Carlos Del Cerro Grande | Elite P | $8,000 | $96,000 |
| Benoit Bastien | Elite Development | $6,500 | $60,000 |
| John Beaton | First | $3,000 | $27,000 |
| Anatoliy Abdula | Second | $2,000 | $18,000 |
| Aliyar Aghayev | Second | $2,000 | $18,000 |
| Marius Avram | Second | $2,000 | $18,000 |
| Mohammed Al-Hakim | Third | $1,000 | $8,000 |
| Sascha Imhof | Third | $1,000 |
How Much Do Premier League Referees Get Paid?
Premier League referees are selected based on their performance throughout the year.
According to research, Premier League ref earned a maximum salary of £70,000 a year. Which makes the average salary of Premier League Officials to be at £38,000 – £40,000.
But with the recent introduction of the VAR in the Premier League, calls became quite controversial after a few goals were rejected with the help of VAR.
Premier League referees currently earn about $1800 per match and have their salary at £70,000 – £200,000. The assistant referee earns £850 per match with £30,000 in their salary while the Video Assistant Referees also earn the same as the assistant referees.
Premier League Referees Contract Holders |
||
| Official | Per Match Fees | Basic Salary |
| Martin Atkinson | £1,500 | £200,000 |
| Anthony Taylor |
£1,500 | £70,000 |
| Mike Dean | £1,500 | £200,000 |
| Michael Oliver |
£1,500 | £200,000 |
| Kevin Friend | £1,500 | £70,000 |
| Chris Kavanagh |
£1,500 | £70,000 |
| Paul Tierney | £1,500 | £70,000 |
| Jonathan Moss |
£1,500 | £70,000 |
| Andre Marriner | £1,500 | £70,000 |
| Stuart Attwell |
£1,500 | £70,000 |
| Graham Scott | £1,500 | £48,000 |
| Craig Pawson |
£1,500 | £48,000 |
| Lee Mason | £1,500 | £48,000 |
| David Coote |
£1,500 | £48,000 |
| Simon Hooper | £1,500 | £48,000 |
| Peter Bankes |
£1,500 | £48,000 |
| Andy Madley | £1,500 | £48,000 |
How Much Do La Liga Referees Get Paid?
La Liga referees are arguably the highest-paid match officials in the world, earning around $6300 per Game.
In August last year, a report was published between La Liga and the Royal Federation of Spanish Football which detailed an increase of 10% in referees’ salaries immediately after the introduction of VAR.
The increase takes to consider the new features the officials have to learn to develop with the arrival of VAR. Currently, VAR referees and their assistants earn $3,640 plus respectively.
On the flip side, including sponsorship from the refereeing organization which is divided between the officials, each of the match officials could earn up to €296,000 in the La Liga Santander. Which is far superior to those of lower leagues.
READ ALSO: Top 10 Referees In Africa Since 2010
How Much Do Ligue 1 Referees Get Paid?
Undeservedly, the French Ligue 1 is considered the “easy” league. However, with formidable teams such as PSG, Marseille, Lyon, and Monaco, it is far from an easy league.
Ligue 1 ref earns around $3,400 per match and an annual salary of up to $227,000, while assistant refs earn about $960 per match.
It remains unclear how the FFA is coping with this daunting task of settling every official but one thing is clear here, the French referees earn handsomely.
- Bundesliga: $3800 per game
- Serie A: $3600 per game.
- Portuguese Primeira: $1,222 per game
How Much Will Referees In Qatar 2022 World Cup Get Paid?
| Officials | Per Match Fees | Knockout & Finals Fees | Tournament Payouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match Referees | €5,000 | €10,000 | €300,000 |
| Assistant Referees | €2,500 | €5,000 | €150,000 |
| Fourth Official | €2,500 | €5,000 | €150,000 |
| Video Assistant Referees | €3,000 | €5,000 | €175,000 |
Who are the most famous former Premier League referees?
- Howard Webb
- Mark Clattenburg
- Graham Poll
- Michael Oliver
- Anthony Taylor
- Andre Marriner
- Craig Pawson
- Paul Tierney
- Stuart Attwell
- Peter Bankes
- John Brooks
- David Coote
- Darren England
Who Are The 10 Best Soccer Referees in 2022/23?
1. Felix Brych
2. Daniele Orsato
3. Bjorn Kuipers
4. Damir Skomina
5. Antonio Mateu Lahoz
6. Anthony Taylor
7. Cüneyt Çakır
8. Nestor Pitana
9. Martin Atkinson
10. Mark Geiger
Who Is The Most Feared Referee In The World?
Who is the Strongest Referee in The World?
Anderson Daronco
The Brazilian officiates in his home country’s top flight and is nicknamed ‘Juiz Fortao’ – or the ‘Strong Judge’ in English.
Who is the youngest referee in the world?
Kevin Ortega
Born in Peru in 1992. He has been officiating in the Primera Division since 2015 and was enlisted as a FIFA referee in 2019.
Who is the oldest football referee?
Peter Phillimore
He is known as Pete the Ref, he has officiated at more than 1,000 matches.
Can a 14-year-old be a referee?
Yes.
There is no minimum age to officiate for entry-level referees, a whole lot of professional referees start as young as 12-14 years old
Who is the youngest referee in the Premier League?
Michael Oliver
Michael Oliver became the Premier League’s youngest referee when he took charge of Birmingham City’s match against Blackburn Rovers in August 2010 at the age of 25, and he has been a top-flight official since.
How do I become a referee?
- Obtain a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Choose the sport you want to officiate.
- Obtain specific training.
- Complete state registration.
- Gain experience for career advancement.
- Become certified.
The aforementioned salary structure details were*Sporting Free*
