This article examines the recent professionalization of women`s football in Brazil through the perspectives of players competing in the national top division. Drawing on interviews with 20 athletes from all five regions of the country, we explore how professionalization has unfolded following the implementation of CONMEBOL`s licencing regulation, which obliges men`s clubs to maintain women`s teams. Analysing the players` narratives through an intersectional framework, we identify how gender, class, and geography shape distinct working conditions and career paths. Despite the introduction of formal contracts and improved visibility, professionalization remains marked by regional inequality, dependence on men`s clubs, and persistent symbolic and material hierarchies. We argue that professionalization is not a linear or uniform process, and that athletes continue to navigate precarious conditions while being disciplined by institutional norms and cultural expectations. The findings contribute to a critical understanding of how professionalization is structured and experienced in a historically unequal and gendered football context.
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