Nowadays, people’s interest in sports is increasing continuously, and simultaneously net worth and earnings of the players are also increasing. You can notice this change with the sudden implementation of the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rule by the NCAA. For more information related to NIL and its history, you can refer to this article.
However, let’s get back to the point.
In this article, we will get to know about the Forbes highest-paid women athletes rankings and players who have won a place in the top 10 in the last 5 years. The article will also provide you with in-depth information about the top 10 highest-paid female athletes in 2026.
Overview of Forbes’ Highest-Paid Women Athletes Rankings
According to the Forbes list, here are the top athletes/players with their net worth and the game they play.
| Rank | Athlete | Sport | Nationality | Age | Total Earnings | On-Field | Off-Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coco Gauff | Tennis | USA | 21 | $33M | $8M | $25M |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | Tennis | Belarus | 27 | $30M | $15M | $15M |
| 3 | Iga Swiatek | Tennis | Poland | 24 | $25.1M | $10.1M | $15M |
| 4 | Eileen Gu | Freestyle Skiing | China | 22 | $23.1M | $0.1M | $23M |
| 5 | Qinwen Zheng | Tennis | China | 23 | $22.6M | $1.6M | $21M |
| 6 | Madison Keys | Tennis | USA | 30 | $13.4M | $4.4M | $9M |
| 7 | Nelly Korda | Golf | USA | 27 | $13M | $3M | $10M |
| 8 (tie) | Naomi Osaka | Tennis | Japan | 28 | $12.5M | $2.5M | $10M |
| 8 (tie) | Elena Rybakina | Tennis | Kazakhstan | 26 | $12.5M | $8.5M | $4M |
| 10 | Jessica Pegula | Tennis | USA | 31 | $12.3M | $5.3M | $7M |
| 11 | Caitlin Clark | Basketball (WNBA) | USA | 23 | $12.1M | $0.1M | $12M |
| 12 | Amanda Anisimova | Tennis | USA | 24 | $11.3M | $7.3M | $4M |
| 13 | Sabrina Ionescu | Basketball (WNBA) | USA | 28 | $10.5M | $0.5M | $10M |
| 14 | Jeeno Thitikul | Golf | Thailand | 22 | $10.3M | $8.3M | $2M |
| 15 | Angel Reese | Basketball (WNBA) | USA | 23 | $9.4M | $0.4M | $9M |
| 16 | Paige Bueckers | Basketball (WNBA) | USA | 24 | $9.1M | $0.1M | $9M |
| 17 | Jasmine Paolini | Tennis | Italy | 29 | $8.3M | $5.3M | $3M |
| 18 (tie) | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | Track & Field | USA | 26 | $8.2M | $0.2M | $8M |
| 18 (tie) | Lindsey Vonn | Skiing | USA | 41 | $8.2M | $0.2M | $8M |
| 20 | Ilona Maher | Rugby | USA | 29 | $8.1M | $0.1M | $8M |
In-Depth Overview of Top 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2026
Coco Gauff
Coco has become the highest-earning female player according to the Forbes report. She was born and brought up in Florida. Coco started playing tennis at the age of 6 and was raised in an athletic environment. Her parents, Candi and Corey Gauff, are both college athletes. She got her first training from her father. In 2019, she shocked everyone by beating Venus Williams at the age of 15 at Wimbledon.
Gauff won her first US Open and French Open in 2023 and 2025, respectively, against Aryna Sabalenka. Apart from her father, she was trained under coaches like Patrick Maouratoglou and Brad Gilbert. She has won 11 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) titles. Coco’s net worth is 30 million in early 2026, which she earned from sponsorship deals with New Balance and Bose, prizes, and ads.
Currently, she lives in Delray Beach. She is popular for big donations like $100k to an HBCU scholarship and $50k to the old park, where she used to play.
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka, a Belarusian, came into the game with lightning-like serves and ground strokes at a young age of 19. She took her first WTA title in 2017. She drove on to consecutive Australian Open victories in 2023-2024, and the following year, 2025, with the US Open title over Anisimova, as well as Miami, Madrid, and Brisbane titles, in a single year despite that crushing heartbreak at the French Open to Gauff. Her $15M income and consecutive WTA Player of the Month awards as the world No. 1 underscore her never-ending training under coaches such as Anton Dubrov, despite the personal tragedies that made her burn.
Iga Swiatek
Iga is a Polish tennis player. She is 24 years old as of early 2026. She was born on 31 May 2001. Her dominance with her aggressive game is how people recognise her. Her gameplay includes a heavy topspin forehand. She has won 6 Grand Slam titles and over 20 WTA titles as of now.
Eileen Gu
In 2022, Gu won the Beijing Winter Olympics at the age of 18. She is the youngest freestyle skiing Olympic champion. She became the youngest freestyle skiing Olympic champion. Gu was born in Silicon Valley to a Chinese mom. Eileen no longer plays for the US in 2022.
Currently, she plays for China and the Chinese people. She deals with brands such as RedBull and Louis Vuitton.
Qinwen Zheng
China-born Qinwen Zheng was born on October 8, 2002. She is 6’1 tall. She won Olympic Gold at Paris 2024. Zheng has also won 5 WTA titles. She started playing tennis at the age of 7. She became a fan of Roger Federer after watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Qinwen Zheng trained under Carlos Rodriguez, who has also trained Li Na. She donated about 136,400 USD for the earthquake in China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.
Madison Keys
Madison is known for her flat, penetrating forehand and resilient comeback story. She started playing for the junior US Open title in 2010. Later on, at the age of 14, she started playing like a pro player. She has undergone multiple surgeries, including hip surgery. Madison Keys was born in Illinois. She is now a Florida-based player.
She has won 10 WTA singles titles, which include:
- 1 Grand slam
- 1WTA 1000
- 7 WTA 500s
- 1 WTA 250
Nelly Korda
Nelly, born in 1998, is an American professional golfer. She has received many awards, the two major ones include:
- 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
- 2024 Chevron Championship
At Tokyo 2020, she has won Olympic gold and 20 other pro titles by the start of 2026. She started playing golf at the age of 6. Her training started at an institute named Elite IMG Academy. At the age of 14, Korda became the third youngest to win the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open (T64).
Naomi Osaka
Born to two different family backgrounds, Naomi is a mix of Japanese and Haitian. She, along with her family, moved to Florida at the age of 3. Her famous playing style includes explosive serves and groundstrokes. Notable achievements of Naomi are:
She has received 4 Grand Slam singles titles in the years 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, among which 2 are from the US Open and Australian Open.
Elena Rybakina
Wimbledon 2022 champion Elena is a Kazakhstani tennis player. She was born in Russia, but later shifted to play for Kazakhstan for better opportunities. Take a look at some of the key achievements of Elena Rybakina.
- Elena has won the Wimbledon 2022 championships against Ons Jabeur, which was her biggest achievement.
- In 2023, she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open 2023.
- Elena has 11 singles titles that include the WTA Finals 2025, Indian Wells 2023, Italian Open 2023, and more.
Jessica Pegula
An American tennis player, Jessica was born in 1994 to billionaire Terry and Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners). Some of her titles include:
- 9 WTA: 2025 Bad Homburg, Charleston, Austin
- WTA 1000s: Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023, Toronto 2024
- Jessica has won more than 50 matches
Related: Ranked: Top 10 Most Popular Sports in The World
Unshakable Elite: Consistent Top-10 Highest Paid Athletes
Some of the players have consistently topped the list of Forbes’ top-earning sportspeople. Players, including Ronaldo (football) and Messi (football), have topped for 5 consecutive years. Apart from them, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have also made it to the players who have topped the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes. Let’s take a look at the achievements and the source of income of the top 2 players:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional football player who is considered to have played one of the greatest roles in the history of football. He has scored goals, maintained physical fitness, and has been able to last longer, and has played in the best clubs, like:
- Manchester United
- Real Madrid
- Juventus
- Al-Nassr
He is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and also the all-time leading goal scorer in Portugal. His enduring nature on the lists of highest earnings in the world could be cited as evidence of his high level of playing performance and the popularity in the whole world.
Lionel Messi
- Lionel Messi is a renowned Argentine footballer. He is both a captain and a forward player of Inter Miami and the Argentina national team.
- Eight Ballon d’Ors
- Six European Golden Shoes
- Eight times being named the world’s best player by FIFA.
- He is regarded as the All-Time Men’s World Best Player by the IFFHS
He has continued to be one of the best-paid players in the world because of the impact he has on and off the field.
Currently, he is on the G.O.A.T. India tour. He is conducting this tour with Luis Suarez and Argentina’s Rodrigo de Paul. Which include locations:
- Kolkata
- Hyderabad
- Mumbai
- New Delhi
What’s Next?
As you can see from the above list, the craze for games like tennis, football, and golf is growing. Keeping this in mind, the governments of developing countries should also give importance to the sport. Players should be given more leverage so that they can pave their way to the world of sports.
With the constantly increasing number of players and viewers, it is expected that more brands will reach players instead of actors and actresses for brand promotion, and this will subsequently lead to increasing net worth. This can be justified by the fact that big brands like Adidas have a lifetime deal with Messi, and likewise, Nike has a lifetime deal with Ronaldo. Other brands like Pepsi and Audi also feature Messi in their ads. This data shows that people are inclined to the sport nowadays more than the entertainment world.
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