Women's Soccer: 800M Fans By 2030, 60% Female Audience Creates Sponsorship Opportunity.
Invest in Women's Soccer Before the Window Closes: Secure First-Mover Sponsorship Advantage to Capture 800 Million Fans Before Competition Saturates the Market.
Women's Football Will Enter The Top Five Global Sports By 2030
Women's football will grow its global fanbase by 38% to reach over 800 million people by 2030, with 60% of those fans projected to be women, according to Nielsen Sports modeling commissioned by PepsiCo and based on trend data from 2019-2025. The sport currently commands over 500 million fans worldwide, with the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup alone generating 2 billion engagements during tournament broadcasts.
Nielsen analyzed data from 27 markets using Nielsen Fan Insights from 2019-2025, Nielsen Audience Data, Nielsen SponsorGlobe, bespoke PepsiCo research, and practical factors including tournament hosting schedules. The projection accounts for major tournaments scheduled in tournament-heavy years of 2025, 2027, and 2029, when countries with strong national team performance typically see the sharpest increases in fan interest and broadcast audience growth.
The trajectory positions women's football to break into the top five most followed sports globally by scale, competing with tennis, motorsport, swimming, basketball, and track and field. Jane Wakely, PepsiCo's Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer for International Foods, stated that PepsiCo views women's football as "a cultural force with the power to connect, inspire and grow our brands."
Female Fans Will Control 75% Of Household Spending By 2028
The women's football audience demographic delivers commercial value that extends beyond sports viewership. Fifty percent of women's football fans are aged 25-44, compared to 44% of the global population in that age bracket, according to Nielsen Sports Fan Insights data from 2019-2024. Forty-seven percent sit in the top income bracket, versus 37% of the general population, creating a significantly more affluent audience than average sports viewership.
By 2028, Nielsen IQ projects that 75% of household purchasing decisions will be made by females, representing influence over $32 trillion in global spending. Women's football provides brands with direct access to this decision-making power during a period when female consumers are actively choosing which brands align with their values.
The gender split of women's football fans is also evolving rapidly. Women made up 43% of the fanbase in 2019. Today, they represent 51%. By 2030, Nielsen modeling projects that figure will exceed 60%, creating one of the few sporting spaces where female fans will constitute the majority. This demographic shift represents a fundamental redefinition rather than incremental growth, according to Nielsen analysis—fans who aren't just growing in size but in influence and cultural fluency.
Tournament Years Drive 30% Broadcast Audience Increases
International tournaments act as engagement springboards, with the global broadcast audience projected to grow 30% by 2030 across major tournaments, based on Nielsen Sports Audience data tracking from 2019-2025. Interest spikes are sharpest in tournament years, particularly in countries with strong national team performance. The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup tripled its sponsorship count from 2019 levels, demonstrating how tournament visibility converts to commercial engagement.
Europe has emerged as a powerhouse, with UK interest in women's football doubling between January and July 2022 following the Lionesses' UEFA Women's EURO 2022 win, according to Nielsen Fan Insights data from 2022-2025 across UK, USA, and Switzerland markets. The surge propelled the Women's Super League to a record 18% interest level. Growth has continued, increasing an additional 15% in the two years since the Lionesses' victory.
Switzerland's women's football fanbase rose 22% in 2024 alone, reaching 1.45 million fans versus 1.19 million in 2023, positioning the country as a potential hotspot with UEFA Women's EURO 2025 scheduled on home soil. The US fanbase grew 10% over the past two years, while global participation numbers tell an even more aggressive story: China saw a 300% increase in participation, Vietnam recorded 42% growth, and multiple markets including Mexico (6.9%), Saudi Arabia (6.1%), and Vietnam (8.1%) have become current hotspots according to Nielsen Fan Insights 2024 data across 27 markets.
Brazil's 2027 World Cup Will Unlock Latin American Markets
The upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil in 2027 presents a pivotal moment for accelerating growth in markets where momentum is already building. Brazil currently has 39% of its population identifying as women's football fans domestically, the highest proportion globally according to Nielsen Fan Insights 2024 data. The country's unique opportunity to evolve from a high-interest hotspot into a low-interest global leader mirrors the commercial transformation the sport is experiencing worldwide.
Colombia and UAE also show over 50% domestic fan penetration, while Mexico, Brazil, and India rank among current participation hotspots. National pride fuels the global game—tournaments provide countries a unique opportunity to move from consumption to leadership, strengthening grassroots foundations and unlocking commercial potential that extends beyond event-driven spikes.
Despite Brazil's historical national team success, not all home games are currently broadcast, and the team lacks a main sponsor. These infrastructure gaps limit visibility and commercial potential, pointing to opportunities for brands seeking to establish foundational partnerships before the market saturates. Participation levels trail other hotspots, highlighting an opportunity to strengthen grassroots investment and close the gap between passion and play, according to Nielsen analysis.
Fans Want Film, Music, and Gaming Crossover Activations
Women's football fans demonstrate significantly higher engagement with adjacent entertainment categories compared to the general population, creating crossover activation opportunities. Seventy-nine percent are interested in film (versus 64% of the general population), 65% in music (versus 45%), and 64% in video games (versus 47%), according to PepsiCo Passion Points bespoke research and Nielsen Sports 2024 data.
PepsiCo's "Make Your Gameday Epic" campaign blending NFL and Gladiator demonstrates how intersecting audience passions can create cultural relevance and commercial impact. The activation connected sports viewership with entertainment franchise enthusiasm, generating multi-interest engagement that exceeded single-category campaign performance.
For brands operating in entertainment, technology, gaming, or lifestyle categories, these overlapping interests open campaign strategies that extend beyond match-day sponsorship. Women's football fans skew younger and more digitally fluent than general sports audiences, creating opportunities for brands to test innovative content formats, immersive experiences, and platform-native activations that speak to values rather than just viewing habits.
Sponsorship Value Increased 152% While Deal Count Tripled
Total women's sports sponsorship value increased 152% in 2024 versus 2019, while sponsorship deals for the 2023 Women's World Cup tripled compared to 2019 levels, according to Nielsen Sports SponsorGlobe data from 2019-2023 and Women's Football/Sport standalone sponsorship deals analysis. The increases signal commercial ecosystem maturation, but also reveal how far the market remains from parity with men's football sponsorship structures.
Women's football sponsorship deals saw a 42% increase in total value in 2024 compared to 2019, indicating that while interest is accelerating, the commercial ceiling for women's football specifically still sits significantly below broader women's sports growth rates. This gap creates a strategic window: brands that commit now can secure premium inventory and long-term positioning before pricing reflects true audience value.
Seventy-five percent of UK fans believe brands and sponsors should increase investment in women's sports, while 72% believe sponsoring women's sports reflects positively on sponsor brands, according to Nielsen's Sports Industry Group research from UK only, 2024. This consumer mandate provides brands with reputational upside that extends beyond logo visibility—partnerships signal values alignment that increasingly drives purchase decisions among younger, more affluent consumers.
Domestic Leagues Require Investment to Convert Tournament Momentum
While international tournaments capture global attention, domestic leagues lag far behind their international equivalents in broadcast accessibility and commercial infrastructure. Major events drive participation spikes, but converting periodic peaks into sustained year-round engagement requires investment across the entire ecosystem, according to Nielsen analysis.
In the NWSL, Kansas City has built the first purpose-built women's stadium, while in England, Arsenal Women draw nearly 29,000 fans per match at the Emirates. These infrastructure commitments demonstrate how clubs are amplifying their women's teams with bigger platforms and bolder storytelling. Media access is also widening—YouTube streams of the WSL and Disney+ coverage of the UWCL are deepening fan engagement with accessible, series-driven content that builds narrative between matches.
The FA's £180 million pledge, 5,000 new pitches, and UEFA's €1 billion commitment to women's football by 2030 signal long-term institutional vision, but the challenge remains: turning growth into permanence requires sustained investment when cameras aren't rolling. Brands that back participation today build the fanbase of tomorrow—those who commit now won't just sponsor a sport, they'll help define its future.
Gatorade's Fuel Tomorrow Reached 24,000 Teens Across 22 Countries
Gatorade's Fuel Tomorrow platform demonstrates how brands can meet markets where momentum is building while helping close the gap between passion and play. The initiative has reached over 24,000 teens across 22 countries, using football as a catalyst for inclusion, confidence, and opportunity, with focused investment in underserved communities.
At the program's core sits the Gatorade 5v5 tournament, giving young players the chance to compete locally with finalists playing on a global stage alongside the UEFA Champions League Final. A dedicated girls' 5v5 tournament inspires the next generation to play, stay, and thrive in sport. The approach shows how health, energy, and activewear brands can lead with purpose and grow with the game.
Participation doesn't always mirror viewership. Brazil has high fan interest but lower playing numbers, while Vietnam over-indexes on participation despite smaller fanbases. These disconnects highlight opportunities for brands to strengthen grassroots foundations in markets where passion exists but infrastructure doesn't, creating long-term loyalty by solving systemic barriers rather than just buying visibility.
What’s Next
Secure Multi-Year Partnership Agreements Before The 2027 World Cup: Lock in sponsorship inventory and rates now, before Brazil 2027 drives pricing inflation and premium placements become unavailable or prohibitively expensive.
Build Campaigns Around Cultural Crossover Not Just Match-Day Activation: Leverage the 79% film interest, 65% music engagement, and 64% gaming passion among women's football fans to create entertainment-sports hybrid experiences.
Invest In Domestic League Visibility Alongside Tournament Sponsorships: Balance World Cup and EURO activations with year-round league partnerships to convert periodic engagement into sustained brand presence and loyalty.
Target Female Decision-Makers With Product Messaging Not Empowerment Platitudes: Speak directly to the 75% household purchasing power women will control by 2028 with clear value propositions, not generic inspiration campaigns.
Fund Grassroots Participation In High-Interest Low-Infrastructure Markets: Focus on countries like Brazil and Vietnam where fan passion exceeds playing access, building long-term community relationships that competitors can't replicate.
Bottom Line: First-Mover Advantage Expires When the Market Realizes What tt Missed.
Women's football sponsorship increased 42% between 2019 and 2024, but that growth rate will accelerate dramatically as the sport enters the top five globally by fanbase and female fans exceed 60% of the audience. Brands hesitating while waiting for "proof" of commercial viability are making the same mistake companies made dismissing early digital advertising or mobile commerce—confusing unfamiliarity with lack of opportunity. PepsiCo became the first UEFA Champions League partner to support the women's game in 2019 and extended through 2030, positioning Pepsi, Lay's, and Gatorade as foundational sponsors before competition intensified.
The 2023 Women's World Cup tripled its sponsorship count versus 2019 because smart brands recognized that 800 million fans, 75% of household purchasing decisions, and a 60% female audience skewing younger and more affluent than general sports viewership represents the kind of demographic concentration that doesn't stay undervalued forever.
Switzerland's 22% year-over-year growth, China's 300% participation surge, and the 152% increase in total women's sports sponsorship value since 2019 all point to the same conclusion: the window for strategic positioning at accessible rates is closing rapidly, and brands that wait for consensus will pay premium prices for secondary inventory after first-movers have already built brand equity and fan loyalty.
