Catarina Macario leaves Chelsea: USWNT star becomes highest-paid women's footballer ever

Tom Weber

• 16 Mar 2026 17:00 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Chelsea attacker Catarino Macario is set to sign a record-breaking contract with San Diego Wave FC.

The United States Women's National Team star is on the verge of returning to California. Brazil-born Macario, who grew up in SoCal and graduated from Stanford, has been widely expected to leave Chelsea this summer.

Her contract is up after the European season, and it was thought that she would pick a new club then. However, Sportico now reports that San Diego Wave FC have agreed to pay $300,000 to sign her immediately.

The NWSL franchise are also set to hand her a bumper deal that will make her the best-paid player in the history of women's football. The 26-year-will earn $8 million over the next five years.

The Wave kicked off the new NWSL season with a 1-0 home loss to the Houston Dash. Having lost forwards Delphine Cascarino and Makenzy Robbe - who scored the winner for Houston - in the offseason, San Diego will bolster their attack with Macario.

Macario overtakes Rodman

Discussions between the Wave and Chelsea over a deal for the 26-year-old dragged on for several weeks, with reports of negotiations first emerging in mid-February. They now appear to have reached a satisfactory conclusion.

Her record contract will see Macario overtake USWNT teammate Trinity Rodman as the best-paid player in women's football. Rodman signed a three-year deal worth $2m per season with the Washington Spirit ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Rodman was initially expected to move to Europe - or to the USL Super League, where the DC Power had made a lucrative offer - because the Spirit did not have the salary cap space to accommodate the 23-year-old's new contract.

In order to keep superstars like Rodman in the league, the NWSL implemented a so-called High-Impact Player Rule that permits clubs to pay $1m over the $3.7m salary cap if certain criteria are met. Macario will also be a High-Impact Player for the Wave.

Macario has yet to play in the NWSL, as she did not declare for the now-abolished draft when leaving Stanford in 2021. Widely regarded as one of the most talented young players in women's football at the time, she immediately signed with European giants Lyon out of college.

Chelsea signed her on a free transfer in 2023 while she was recovering from an ACL injury. Fitness problems would continue to plague her during her time in West London. She made 12 appearances for the Blues in the first half of the season, scoring twice and notching two assists.

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