Nielsen’s 2025 Global Sports delivers two key facts. Firstly, women’s sports are growing in leaps and bounds—more than what the numbers can tell. Secondly, soccer remains the king globally. In fact, the United States has now emerged as the fourth-largest market for soccer internationally.
Women’s sports’ exponential rise only matched the trajectory of soccer’s continuous growth. The sponsors have arrived. So the bigger question is, can WNBA, Softball, and NWSL keep the momentum going? Let’s first identify the brands investing in women’s sports and understand their reasons for optimism.
Brands are betting big on women’s sports
Bigwigs like Nike, AT&T, and Google are putting big money into women’s sports. And it’s not just Women’s soccer. Brands are looking towards the WNBA, women’s college sports, and emerging leagues that are involved. A 2024 Forbes report revealed:
93% of brand decision makers are optimistic about the future growth of women’s sports.
82% of brand decision-makers plan to increase investment in women’s sports in the next five years.
85.7% of brands that have yet to invest in women’s sports plan to do so over the next five years.
Some of the biggest sports deal in women’s sports was signed in the last couple of years:
AT&T x NWSL: Inked in March 2025, AT&T became NWSL’s multi-year sponsorship deal as a connectivity partner.
Google x WNBA: Google became the presenting partner of the WNBA on ESPN in 2021.
Under Armour × Unrivaled: Under Armour became the founding apparel sponsor for the Women’s 3×3 Basketball League, launching in late 2025.
What makes women’s sports a favorable destination?
Women’s sports are rising fast, as the new Nielsen study shows:
Interest grew from 45% to 50% of the global population from 2022 to 2024.
WNBA U.S. fanbase grew 31% in two years, now at 46.9 million.
Viewership up 201% for the 2024 WNBA regular season.
But it’s not just the viewership numbers that are driving the spurt in the sponsorship revenue. The audience that is attracting is rich for marketers. Consider this:
9.96 million consumers say they are more likely to purchase from women’s sport sponsors, compared with 8.38 million for men’s sport.
30% of consumers share a positive opinion about brands that support women’s sport.
Fans are 2.8x more likely to purchase products recommended by women athletes versus other influencers.
Only 8.6% of women’s sports fans are older. Which means a huge chunk of the fans are Gen-Z. They are tech-savvy, highly active on social media. It’s no surprise brands want to capture this audience. Now the bigger question is, can women’s sports leagues hold the momentum?
The roadmap for the future
Currently, women’s sports barely get 10% of sponsorship dollars. To change that number, another change is needed: broadcasting. A 2023 from Wasserman suggests that women’s sports roughly get around 15% of the media coverage.
WNBA has attracted a massive audience in the United States. Now the next goal is to capture global attention beyond the Atlantic. Similarly, for the NWSL, the blueprint should be to move women’s soccer internationally. They have already signed deals with Amazon, CBS, and ESPN, but a global streaming platform like DAZN, which is more focused on Europe, will enable them to reach the fertile markets.
WNBA can do well with a few international games, as the NFL has been trying to push the boundaries. Lastly, the appeal and effect of sports documentaries—think of F1: Drive to Survive or Full Swing.
So, WNBA, NWSL, and Softball need to streamline operations, expand media reach, build superstars, and create long-term brand partnerships that move beyond surface-level visibility into deep cultural relevance. With the right strategy, women’s sports can reach the pinnacle like soccer did.
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