Toni Payne

Toni Payne
Personal information
Full name Antionette Oyèdúpẹ́ Payne[1]
Date of birth (1995-04-22) 22 April 1995
Place of birth Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Positions
Team information
Current team
 Inter Milan
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Duke Blue Devils 90 (23)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 Ajax 22 (0)
2018–2024 Sevilla 168 (30)
2024–2026 Everton 41 (1)
2026– Inter Milan 0 (0)
International career‡
2012 United States U17 6 (3)
2013–2014 United States U20
2016–2018 United States U23 1 (0)
2021– Nigeria 52 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 August 2026

Antionette Oyedupe "Toni" Payne OON (Yoruba: [òjédupɛ́]; born 22 April 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Inter Milan. Born in the United States, she represents Nigeria at international level.

Early life

Payne was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama to Nigerian parents.[2][3] She is the older sister of fellow footballers Stephen and Nicole Payne. She and her sister Nicole have played together in the Nigeria national team.[4]

Club career

In 2017, Ajax invited Payne for an internship, which led to her signing for the club.[5] She made her league debut against ADO Den Haag on 19 May 2017.[6] Payne scored her first league goal against PSV on 27 May 2018, scoring in the 16th minute.[7]

On 4 July 2018, Payne was announced at Sevilla.[8] She made her league debut against Albacete on 9 September 2018.[9] Payne scored her first league goal against Rayo Vallecano on 16 September 2018, scoring in the 89th minute.[10] On 18 June 2019, it was announced that her contract was extended for two further years.[11]

On 19 July 2024, Payne was announced at Everton.[12] On 7 December 2025, Payne assisted the goal for Honoka Hayashi to beat Chelsea 1–0, ending the longest unbeaten streak in Super League history of 34 matches.[13] On 26 June 2026, it was announced that she would leave Everton when her contract expired.[14]

On 12 July 2026, it was announced that Payne had signed a two-year contract with Serie A club Inter Milan until 30 June 2028.[15]

International career

Through birth and descent, Payne was eligible to play for the United States or Nigeria.

United States

Payne played for the United States under-17 team, and was in the team which won the 2012 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.

Nigeria

In 2019, Payne declared her intention to switch her international career to Nigeria.[2][3] She made her senior debut on 18 February 2021 starting against Russian club CSKA Moscow at the Turkish Cup.[16] Her first appearance facing a national team was two days later against Uzbekistan.[17]

Payne was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.[18]

On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA World Cup 2023.[19]

Payne was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[20]

On 20 June 2025, Payne was named in the final Nigeria squad for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 May 2026[22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental[c] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ajax 2016–17 Vrouwen Eredivisie 200000—20
2017–18 Vrouwen Eredivisie 200110030241
Total 220110030261
Sevilla 2018–19 Liga F 27730——307
2019–20 Liga F 21 4 3 0 — — 24 4
2020–21 Liga F 33 5 1 0 — — 34 5
2021–22 Liga F 29 5 2 0 — — 31 5
2022–23 Liga F 28 3 1 0 — — 29 3
2023–24 Liga F 30 6 2 0 — — 32 6
Total 168301200 00 018030
Everton 2024–25 Women's Super League 2212020—261
2025–26 Women's Super League 1902131—242
Total 41141510 0503
Career total 23131172513 025334

International

As of match played 26 July 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Nigeria 202171
2022130
2023130
202470
202560
202621
Total482
Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Payne goal.
List of international goals scored by Toni Payne
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 February 2021 Mtskheta Park, Manavgat, Turkey  Equatorial Guinea 7–0 9–0 2021 Turkish Women's Cup
2 5 June 2026 Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Nigeria  Senegal 2–0 2–1 Friendly

Honours

Nigeria

Orders

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Azerbaijan 2012 – List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. 25 September 2012. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 Sevilla striker Toni Payne wants to dump USA and play for Super Falcons of Nigeria, 7 March 2019. Accessed 15 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 Samuel Ahmadu, American-born Toni Payne awaits Fifa's clearance, Goal, 5 April 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Match Report of Jamaica vs Nigeria – 2021-06-10 – FIFA Friendlies – Women". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Drie nieuwe aanwinsten voor Ajax Vrouwen". www.parool.nl (in Dutch).
  6. ↑ "Ajax vs ADO Den Haag - 19 May 2017". int.soccerway.com.
  7. ↑ "Ajax vs PSV - 27 May 2018". int.soccerway.com.
  8. ↑ "TONI PAYNE, DINAMITA NORTEAMERICANA PARA EL ATAQUE DEL SEVILLA FC". sevillafc.es (in Spanish).
  9. ↑ "Sevilla vs Albacete - 9 September 2018". int.soccerway.com.
  10. ↑ "Rayo Vallecano vs Sevilla - 16 September 2018". int.soccerway.com.
  11. ↑ Samuel Ahmadu, Sevilla hand Toni Payne contract extension until 2021, Goal, 18 June 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Everton Sign Payne". www.evertonfc.com.
  13. ↑ "Chelsea 0-1 Everton: Chelsea suffer first defeat since May 2024". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  14. ↑ "Six Players To Leave Everton". www.evertonfc.com.
  15. ↑ "Antionette Payne signs for Inter". www.inter.it. 12 July 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Ahmadu, Samuel (18 February 2021). "Nigeria 1-0 CSKA Moscow: Ihezuo hands American born Payne and George winning debuts". Goal. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "Nigeria 1 Uzbekistan 0 : Ayinde's Half-Volley Enough For Win ; Two American-born Players Debut". All Nigeria Soccer. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "Morocco 2022: Waldrum picks Ebi, Oshoala, Plumptre, 22 others for Women AFCON". Nigeria Football Federation. 25 June 2022.
  19. ↑ Ryan Dabbs (14 June 2023). "Nigeria Women's World Cup 2023 squad: most recent call ups". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "Paris 2024 Olympics: Waldrum picks Ajibade, Nnadozie, Oshoala, 15 others". thenff.com. Nigeria Football Federation. 3 July 2024.
  21. ↑ Oyebola, Mike (20 June 2025). "Super Falcons: Madugu unveils final squad for WAFCON 2024". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  22. ↑ "Toni Payne Stats". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  23. ↑ "Nigeria produce stunning comeback to beat Morocco and win 10th WAFCON title". CAF. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
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