Women's football fanbase to reach 800m by 2030

Women's shot is acceptable to go 1 of the world's apical 5 sports by 2030, according to a study by Nielsen Sports successful collaboration with PepsiCo, with a planetary instrumentality basal projected to turn by 38% to scope much than 800 cardinal people.

Some 60% of those fans are projected to beryllium women, according to their study "Undervalued to Unstoppable" released connected Tuesday, creating 1 of the fewer sports which is followed by much females than males.

The planetary broadcast assemblage is besides expected to emergence by 30% crossed large tournaments by 2030.

While sponsorship deals tripled for the 2023 Women's World Cup from the 2019 tournament, lone a tiny fraction of planetary sponsorship budgets are allocated to women's football, according to the study.

It presents a important opportunity, the researchers argued, considering women are projected to thrust implicit 75% of household purchasing decisions by 2028.

"We person agelong believed successful the imaginable of women's football, and today, we're nary longer conscionable tracking progress, we're witnessing a breakthrough," Samantha Lamberti, managing manager of Nielsen Sports International said.

"From media rights to sponsorship and instrumentality engagement, this is nary longer a lawsuit of aboriginal committedness but contiguous value."

Women's shot is already 1 of the apical 10 astir followed sports globally, and momentum appears to beryllium building. Viewership of the U.S. based National Women's Soccer League title past twelvemonth had an 18% summation implicit the erstwhile year.

Disney+ announced past period a woody to broadcast Women's Champions League matches crossed Europe, portion Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder and hubby of tennis large Serena Williams, acquired a involvement successful Women's Super League champions Chelsea that aforesaid month.

Deloitte precocious reported that WSL revenues climbed by 34% during a record-breaking 2023-24 season, and are forecasting WSL clubs' full gross volition scope a grounds £100 cardinal ($135.9m) successful the 2025-26 season.

WSL attendance, however, has dropped aft it peaked successful 2023-24 connected the heels of the 2023 Women's World Cup, but is expected to person different emergence aft the European Championship adjacent period successful Switzerland.

Nielsen reported a surge successful involvement astir large tournaments. Switzerland grew its women's shot instrumentality basal by 22% successful 2024 up of the Euros, portion involvement successful the UK roseate 15% implicit the 2 years aft England's triumph astatine Euro 2022.

Women's shot has enjoyed a 60% emergence successful pistillate fans implicit the past 5 years, according to Nielsen, with momentum strongest successful China, with 186 cardinal caller fans implicit that period, Brazil, and India.

Growth successful information echoed the summation successful interest, with China seeing a 300% rise. Participation has besides climbed successful Europe, successful France -- with a 150% leap -- Spain (95%), the Netherlands (25%) and the UK (24%) seeing the highest increases since 2019.