Luxury brands tap women’s sports as global interest in women’s sports surges to 50%: Nielsen
Interest in women’s sports is also growing as it reached 50% of the general population globally in 2024, up from 45% in 2022. According to the report, globalization, diverse fandoms and evolving media consumption are reshaping sports engagement.
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The fervent football (soccer) fanbase is highly receptive to sponsorships as over a third (67%) of global football fans find sponsoring brands more appealing compared to just over half of the general population (54%), reveals Nielsen's 2025 Global Sports Report. As per the report, this is seen most prevalently in the U.S., where football fans are significantly more receptive to brand sponsorship than the country’s general sports fans, second only to Brazil, one of the sport’s most dominant markets worldwide.
With major tournaments slated for 2025, 2026 and 2027, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 hosted across North America, the U.S. market is poised for significant growth, driven by a young, diverse, and affluent fan base (76% Millennials or Gen Z, 22% Hispanic, 34% earning over $100K household income) eager to spend with aligned sponsors.
Interest in women’s sports is also growing as it reached 50% of the general population globally in 2024, up from 45% in 2022. According to the report, globalization, diverse fandoms and evolving media consumption are reshaping sports engagement. The report identifies three growth factors, empowering marketers to optimize sponsorship strategies and unlock global sports potential.
Jon Stainer, Global General Manager, Nielsen Sports, said, “The global sports industry is experiencing an exhilarating evolution, as live sports continue to grow and extend into all parts of media. The data in our 2025 Global Sports Report illuminates precisely the opportunities that exist for these partners as the worldwide appeal of live sport, especially with major, worldwide sporting events on the horizon, gains even more momentum.”
Firstly, the report identifies that football, as the world’s most popular sport, presents a compelling opportunity to deepen engagement and drive ROI. With 51% global fandom, football significantly outpaces all other sports with notable regional variations including Mexico at 64% fandom and a substantial 62 million fans in the U.S. alone, making it the fourth largest market globally. But getting brand sponsorship right depends on understanding the nuances of fans in target markets so as to capitalize on this passionate and engaged fanbase.
Second, the significant surge in interest in women’s sports presents unparalleled opportunities for strategic brand investment and engagement, with particularly strong growth in major markets like India, China, the UK, and Germany. This growth is mirrored by specific sport expansions, notably women’s football and the WNBA, which has seen its U.S. fanbase grow over 31% in two years to 46.9 million, alongside a remarkable 201% increase in 2024 regular season viewership.
Critically, women now form a larger share of fans for both women’s (47%) and men’s (42%) sports (up from 45% and 40% in 2022). This creates new, diverse and highly engaged audiences demanding tailored approaches and brand opportunities. This expanding, receptive female fanbase underscores that supporting women’s sports is not merely a social gesture but a compelling business imperative, offering brands access to new consumer segments as evidenced by luxury brands like Coach entering the WNBA sponsorship space, leveraging high purchase intent among women’s sports fans.
Read More: Kantar predicts human creativity will be as crucial as tech in 2025 Third, the rapidly evolving sports media landscape offers significant opportunities for brands, advertisers, rights holders and marketers to engage diverse audiences across traditional and digital platforms. Live sports continue to be a powerful driver of fan engagement, with streaming attracting a growing segment of older fans (21% increase in 50+ viewers between 2022-2024), while innovative formats like the TGL golf league are successfully bringing in younger, non-traditional viewers (32% of 18-34 TGL viewers are not regular PGA viewers) to linear channels.
Concurrently, social media is proving instrumental in globalizing sports and cultivating new fan bases. This is exemplified by the rapid rise of rugby fandom in new markets, driven by influential athletes like Ilona Maher, who grew her Instagram following by 141% during last year’s Olympic Games—and the accelerated growth of women following rugby globally.
