How much do referees in La Liga get paid?

In September 2020, referees in Spain were considered professionals, and since then, they have become the highest-paid referees on the continent in terms of both rank and salary. La Liga referees earn significantly more than their counterparts in other major European leagues.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.

Salary of La Liga referees

A La Liga referee receives a monthly basic salary of 12,500 euros.

On top of that, they earn an additional 4,200 euros for each match they officiate on the pitch and 2,100 euros for matches they referee from the VAR room.

Comparing this to the Premier League, the referees there earn a basic salary of 3,700 euros and 2,200 euros per match. This is a substantial difference.

It’s not just the base salary and match fees that set La Liga referees apart.

They also receive 7,000 euros for each Champions League match they officiate.

This additional amount is added to their salaries from their respective leagues.

If we consider an average of 20 matches officiated per season, Spanish referees earn an average salary of 250,000 euros per year.

In contrast, a referee in the Premier League earns around 110,000 euros, and in Italy and France, they earn about 125,000 euros on average.

In Serie A, referees earn 3,800 euros per match in addition to a monthly basic salary ranging from 3,900 to 6,500 euros, depending on the individual.

The assistant referees receive 1,000 euros per match, while the fourth official and VAR referees earn 500 euros and 1,500 euros per match, respectively.

Now, let’s put these figures into context.

In the NFL, referees earn an average salary of 220,000 euros, which can be supplemented by an additional 50,000 euros for officiating the Super Bowl.

Among all the referees in La Liga, Mateu Lahoz was the highest-paid. He earned approximately 335,000 euros at the end of the year when considering matches in La Liga, the Champions League, the Cup, and the World Cup.

This article was updated 7 months ago