Breaking Down the Paycheck: A Look at Football Referee Salaries

Did you ever wonder how much money professional football referees get paid?

How much money do referees get paid for undertaking this underappreciated role in association football?

Here at Sportsboom, we’ve decided to break down European referee salaries, match fees, and bonuses.

In short, the best-paid football referee salaries go to La Liga officials in Spain. English Premier League officials in England are the second-best remunerated.

Serie A referees in Italy are the third-highest paid, while Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 follow in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

What do football referees get paid?

Football officiating is a profession in which salary and pay structure go unnoticed.

Most football supporters are apathetic, concerning themselves more with the salaries of the superstar players.

However, it seems that when referees are not handing out yellow cards, they are earning a decent packet for their efforts on the football pitch. 

Who are the best-paid football officials in Europe?

Football referees in Spain earn the best salaries in Europe. La Liga referees earn £124,256 salary and an added £4,205 match fee.

Spanish top-flight officials earn £2,102 per La Liga match if they are on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty.

Like professional football players, Spanish officials get paid an extra £21,929 per year for their image rights.

Countries with the best-paid football referees in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues

How much money do Premier League football referees earn in England?

English Premier League officials get paid on a sliding scale between £73,191, £105,257, and £147,258, depending on their experience and rank.

English referees can earn less than their Spanish colleagues or more; however, Premier League officials do not get image rights.

Premier League match fees are £1,116 per game. VAR officials earn £837 per game in the English top flight.

EPL refs receive a bonus based on the quality of their matchday performances. 

How much money do Serie A football referees get paid in Italy?

Serie A referees in Italy get paid a salary of £76,954 to £77,345, with a £3,420 to £3,437 match fee.

The match fee for Italian football VAR duty is between £1,453 and £1,461.

The lowest-paid English top-division referee will earn less than their Italian colleagues.

However, Serie A officials do not earn on a sliding scale because Italy has a capped wage structure. 

How much money do Bundesliga referees earn in Germany?

In Germany, like England, there is a difference between salaries depending on their experience and level of officiating.

German Bundesliga referees get paid less than their Spanish and English counterparts.

German referees with fewer than five years’ experience receive £52,977 per year, climbing to £61,522 when they pass the five-year threshold.

The elite referees receive £70,067 per annum salary. The match fee for a Bundesliga game is £4,784. VARs earn £1,794 per match. 

How much money do football referees earn in France?

French top-flight referees are paid the lowest salary compared to referees in the other top five leagues.

Ligue 1 referees are paid £66,716 to £67,058 in France.

The French officials earn £2,865 to £2,880 per match.

However, match fees for VAR in Ligue 1 range from £855 to £859, more than English Premier League officials earn.