Global Momentum: Why Advertisers Are Seizing the Growth of Women's Sports

International women’s sports are undergoing a cultural and commercial renaissance. Once sidelined in the broader sports ecosystem, women’s competitions now occupy centre stage with record-breaking attendance, soaring viewership, and rising global fan engagement.

From primetime WNBA matchups to sellout crowds at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the world is watching women athletes like never before. Around 3 in 10 US adults follow women’s professional or college sports at least moderately, according to the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A similar study by S&P Global found that those who tune into women’s sports are avid viewers, following more than six other sports leagues, compared to an average of 2.5 among the overall population. 

Women’s sports events are not only drawing millions of new fans—across genders, generations, and geographies—but also creating massive, multi-market opportunities for brands looking to connect with audiences in meaningful ways.

Here, we unpack the cultural drivers, commercial potential, and strategic pathways that make international women’s sports a new frontier for international sports marketing. 

Record-breaking viewership in women’s sports

The women’s sports industry has been marked by significant milestones over the last couple of years, showcasing unprecedented viewership gains and media value. 

Basketball: 

• This season’s WNBA showdown between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky averaged 2.7 million viewers on ABC and peaked at 3.1 million, making it the most-watched regular-season WNBA game in 25 years, according to Sports Media Watch.
• That same matchup became the league’s second-largest average audience for any event, trailing only the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game (3.44 million).

Soccer: 

• The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw nearly two million fans inside to the stadiums in Australia and New Zealand. 
• Attendance marks a 54% increase in attendance in the first 16 games compared to the previous tournament in 2019, according to SportsPro. 

Rugby:

• The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 has sold more than 300,000 tickets to date, as the fastest-selling edition of the tournament ever.
• That’s more than double the total attendance from RWC 2021 in New Zealand, making it soon-to-be the biggest Women’s Rugby World Cup in history.

NCAA: 

• The 2025 Women’s College World Series Championship Series game between Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders, was viewed by 2.1 million fans, becoming the most-watched WCWS Game 1 ever.
• The 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship drew the second-most watched first and second rounds on record. 

Sizing Up The Advertising Opportunity

Advertisers looking for scalable reach, brand affinity, and performance ROI are turning their focus and investments toward women’s sports. Following a banner year that exceeded expectations, revenue from women’s elite sports will reach at least 2.35 billion in 2025, according to Deloitte, rising 240% in four years. 

And with a full calendar of global events including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, WNBA, UEFA competitions, and the Olympics, advertisers no longer need to limit themselves to brief seasonal windows. There is now an opportunity to plan multi-phase, year-round campaigns that stay connected to fan communities continuously.

TV advertisers spent 139% more on women’s sports in 2024, reaching $244.4 million, per EDO. Still, the figure only accounts for 3% of all TV ad spend on live sports—underscoring a rapidly scaling media environment with high fan engagement but limited ad saturation. 

Effectiveness Of Advertising in Women’s Sports 

For many advertisers, women’s sports offers a more efficient path to impact, with less clutter and greater standout. According to the Women’s Sport Trust, 86% of sponsors say their partnerships have met or outperformed ROI expectations. A third of them say that their activations have delivered better-than-expected results, particularly in areas including brand consideration, public sentiment, and employee engagement.

Sponsors also value the alignment with brand purpose. In the Women’s Sport Trust report, 77% of respondents cited showcasing community or social responsibility as their primary reason for entering a sponsorship agreement, followed by changing or reinforcing brand image. In a market less saturated, ads in women’s sports present more values-driven—less like an interruption and more like participation—which is key for brands focused more on affinity and long-term value. 

Fans are noticing, too. Ads during women’s sports drove 40% more engagement than primetime TV spots, per the EDO report.  A separate study by Horizon Sports & Experiences reports that 67% of women’s sports fans make a point to support brands that sponsor their favorite teams or athletes.

New Women’s Sport Advertising Capabilities With Data

Some of the most exciting advances in women’s sports are unfolding behind the scenes. The WNBA, for example, in 2024, became the first women’s professional sports league in the US to deploy leaguewide 3D player and ball-tracking technology.

This investment equips every WNBA arena with a camera-based optical tracking system capable of generating low-latency, real-time data. It captures 3D player poses, ball trajectories and matchup dynamics at a level of depth never before.

The immediate applications serve coaching, performance and team strategy; but the long-term impact reaches directly into the advertising ecosystem. Advertisers can now build campaigns informed by advanced metrics such as shot quality, shooter impact, paint touches, sprint speeds, and more—triggering live augmented ad placements for hyper context-aware storytelling. 

The possibilities to align brand stories with what’s actually unfolding on the court are endless. A campaign around peak performance can launch as a player reaches top speed. A mental wellness sponsor can integrate into a high-pressure shot sequence. A hydration brand logo may pop up during periods of player fatigue.

Just as broadcast partners use graphics to enhance storytelling, advertisers can apply the same quality data to add depth to their messaging, turning a simple mid-roll into something timely, visual, and embedded in the moment.

Best Practices: Tips For Brands Advertising In Women’s Sports

To connect with fans in meaningful ways, brands need to take a more informed, intentional approach to campaign strategy and execution. These best practices offer a starting point for building creative that works with the moment, the medium, and the mindset of today’s fan.

Use Real-Time Context to Stay Relevant

Advertisers can no longer rely on pre-set media plans that run in the background while matches unfold. In live sports, the value lies in responding to what’s happening as it happens; and in women’s sports, this relevancy means staying authentic, demonstrating a true understanding of it. 

This could be a late-game goal, a player milestone, a rivalry fixture, or even a weather delay that shifts fan behaviour. Each of these moments affects how fans engage across platforms. Attention spikes. Search volume shifts. Social activity picks up. The opportunity is there, but only for brands that can move at the same speed.

Using live game data, FANHub enables advertisers to adjust bidding strategies, creative delivery, and channel prioritisation based on real-world triggers. For example, if a team progresses unexpectedly to the next round of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the system can automatically boost spend in relevant regions, update creative to reflect the new storyline, and serve messaging aligned with fan sentiment. If a major player exits a game due to injury, brands can quickly pivot to other team personalities or moments driving conversation.

Experiment With Immersive Ad Formats 

Augmented ads let brands become part of the game itself, making them truly unmissable. Sharp, eye-catching digital overlays can be placed directly into live feeds, integrating virtual signage, animated stats, and sponsor graphics that align with game action. 

During high-intensity women’s sports, where visual focus is at a high, a branded graphic before a final whistle will carry far more weight than a traditional static banner. 

Beyond visibility, augmented ads support relevance. They can display live metrics tied to sponsor messaging, such as possession percentage, player speed, or scorelines. A campaign focused on athletic performance might show sprint data alongside a branded animation. A sustainability sponsor could appear during hydration breaks, aligned with messaging on environmental impact.

These experiences present new ways for brands to participate in the fan journey, offering useful, in-the-moment content that aligns with the match’s flow. 

Build An Omnichannel Presence Beyond TV

While TV remains a cornerstone for live viewing, it’s no longer where the full conversation happens. Audiences today are watching, commenting, sharing and searching across multiple screens.

Nearly 8 in 10 US adults now use a second screen while watching TV—with penetration even higher among Gen Z and millennials, who make up a significant chunk of women’s sports fans—according to a forecast by EMARKETER. That means checking scores, browsing player stats, reacting on social media or revisiting highlights simultaneously, and mid-match. The opportunity for brands isn’t just in what fans are watching—it’s in where else they’re engaging while they watch.

To stay visible and relevant, brands need to show up where fans are most active. That includes short-form video, mobile banners, in-feed social ads and even post-game content on streaming platforms—each, in tandem, improving continuity. When fans see consistent brand messaging across environments, the campaign feels more connected, leading to stronger recall. 

Platforms that centralize media buying, targeting, optimization, and even dynamic creative make it easy to ride the wave of key sports moments. Advertisers can run integrated campaigns that respond immediately to a viral buzzer beater, for example, with media plans that adapt without delay. 

What’s Next For Women’s Sports Advertising 

Women’s sports offer a powerful platform for purpose-driven messaging, resonating on values like equity, empowerment, and authenticity. With no shortage of powerful storytelling moments, women’s sports have opened the door for previously untapped advertiser categories, from makeup and hair brands to health and fertility services.

However, the challenge for brands and agencies is to avoid replicating old playbooks. The tools exist to plan better, activate more intelligently, and engage audiences that are actively looking for brands that show up with intention.