We also present Part 2 of our look at recent sponsorship and marketing reports on the NWSL, women’s football leagues in general and women’s sports in the U.S. Last week we look at a recent report by Sponsor United: NWSL Partnerships Report 2024 & 2025 (see: The Week in Women's Football: Qatar to host inaugural CWC; reviewing NWSL marketing report - TribalFootball.com).
Arsenal wins the first FIFA global club tournament title for women
We recently reviewed the qualifying rounds for the first FIFA women’s global club tournament, the Women’s Champions Cup, held from January 28 through February 1 2026 in London.
The tournament wrapped up this week; in the semifinals on January 28 at Brentford Stadium, 6,177 fans—dominated by fans supporting Brazil’s Copa Libertadores Femenina champions Corinthians of Sao Paulo, defeated New Jersey/New York Gotham FC 1-0 on a goal by Brazilian international Gabi Zanotti (40) seven minutes from full time.
Interestingly, she once played club soccer in the New York area for the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues of the summer USL W-League in 2010, after playing four seasons with Franklin Pearce University in New Hampshire. She then went to Brazil and played her club career entirely there, with the exception of two years in China. She has been with Corinthians since 2018, scoring 83 goals in 248 matches.
In the second match of the day, Arsenal overwhelmed AS FAR of Morocco 6-0 in front of a crowd of 8,066, building a 3-0 lead within the first 21 minutes, with goals from three of their internationals: Stina Blackstenius (29) of Sweden, Frida Maanum (26) of Norway and a penalty by Maria Caldentey (29) of Spain. English international Alessia Russo (26) scored a second half brace for the final 6-0 result.
On the second day of the tournament on February 1, in the third place match in front of 7,210 fans at the Emirates Stadium, Gotham FC defeated AS FAR 4-0, after racing to a 3-0 halftime lead. Gotham’s goals came from four of their American players: Khyah Harper (27th ), Savannah McCaskill (38th), Jaedyn Shaw (43rd)—from the penalty spot—and veteran Midge Purce (48th).
In the championship final, Arsenal won a stirring match 3-2 in extra time, with Australian international Caitlin Foord’s tally in the 104th minute the difference. Arsenal led 2-1 with English international Lotte Wubben-Moy’s (27—who played three seasons at the University of North Carolina) 58th minute goal but Victoria (Albuquerque de Miranda) (27—who spent a year with Madrid CFF in the second half of the 2021-22 season) tied up the match at the death with a 96th minute penalty kick on a foul in the box by Arsenal’s Republic of Ireland international Katie McCabe. The game attracted 25,031 fans to the Emirates.
This tournament was an historic event for the professional game throughout the world, and Corinthians’ upset over current NWSL and CONCACAF champions Gotham shocked followers of the game in the U.S. For years, Brazil’s women’s professional sides were underfunded and viewed by many as equivalent to semi-professional levels in other regions; however, Corinthians—one of the top men’s teams on the continent—now have that mantle on the women’s side and are the all-time Copa America Libertadores title winners with six from 17 tournaments since 2009, including the last three in a row, and have helped to rapidly change that narrative.
It was a lucrative tournament for the participants, with the FIFA payouts as follows:
Winners—Arsenal US$2.3 million
Runners-up—Corinthians $1 million
Third/Fourth—Gotham and AS FAR each received $200,000
The two teams eliminated in Round 1 and Round 2—OFC representatives Auckland United FC of New Zealand and AFC representatives Wuhan Chegu Jiangda WFC of China PR—each received US$100,000 each.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström explained: “A total payout of close to USD 4 million distributed among the six participants based on their performance is a clear statement of the belief in women’s club football and the players, teams and competitions driving its continued rise.”
There were some criticisms of the tournament, beyond the fact that Arsenal was nicely set-up to host the final. I think that was a good decision to locate it at one of the participant’s homes to boost attendance rather than at a neutral site, like FIFA is likely to do with Qatar in two years’ time (see our column last week: The Week in Women's Football: Qatar to host inaugural CWC; reviewing NWSL marketing report - TribalFootball.com). A lot of criticism came on the payout, with Gotham FC saying that they had to win the Champions Cup to make money; otherwise, they were in the red with expenses. Arsenal as the winners won just a little less than the $2.5 million the winners of the two World 7’s Football Tournaments—Bayern Munich and the San Diego Wave—last year each earned.
Arsenal won $412,417 last year when they took the UEFA Women’s Champions League title, in a tournament that runs across nine months of the season. Gotham FC, who had to balance pre-tournament preparation with the start of their preseason on January 2 when other NWSL sides started later in the month, had to make sure that they did not burn out their players.
They went to Spain to train ahead of the Champions Cup. Gotham FC General Manager and former U.S. international Yael Averbuch West told Sports Illustrated: “(Gotham manager) Juan (Carlos Amorós) made it clear right from the start to everyone, this is not preseason, these are really important games that we need to win, and also we need to be conscious of our preparation timeline with player health and safety. Once we knew the timing of this event, there were a lot of conversations of how do we do this in the healthiest, safest way, but also where we are ready to compete and be our very best to try and win these games?”
Gotham’s Director of Operations Ellis Clark, who is a native of Chesterfield, England, explained: “We worked a lot with the (NWSL) Players Association and the league to construct an offseason calendar, to work out what it was that we were going to do. We made the decision to come over to Europe, and a lot of that was for the time zone and travel. We wanted people to be in a good place, not feel jet-lagged, and be acclimatized. We made the best of what could have been a really tough situation.”
Part of the discussion with the Players Associate was that the currently Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for at least 28 days off for all league players in the off-season. They thus have to give the players some time off elsewhere, and will shorten their preseason for the 2026 NWSL season, which could affect their start to the league. However, for the tournament, Gotham went into England from Spain a week early, when the FIFA mandates were for teams to be in England three days before. FIFA tries to ensure that teams do not have to finance their participation in these types of tournaments. However. Gotham was in Europe for three weeks training, which added greatly to their expenses. It shows that they took the competition seriously, which was good.
Arsenal—founded in 1987—winning the first global title is a very appropriate tribute to their leading light status in the game for years, particularly when other teams were not taking the women’s game seriously; they were a key source of players to the English WNT which finally started to make progress at the global level in 2015 at the WWC in Canada (finishing third) and have become a global force in the game since. The Women’s Champions Cup will go nicely in their trophy cabinet with their 15 domestic top league titles, 14 FA Cup wins, 7 League Cup successes and two UEFA Women’s Champions League. All-in-all, this tournament was a great success and credit must go to FIFA and all the participants.
Sponsorship Reports on Women’s Football
This week we review two reports on women’s professional sports sponsorship by Parity, a platform for professional women athlete partnerships, with one report focused on women’s football and the other report on women’s sports in general. Last week we examined a report on the NWSL by Sponsor United, a global sports and entertainment sponsorship intelligence platform (see: The Week in Women's Football: Qatar to host inaugural CWC; reviewing NWSL marketing report - TribalFootball.com).
Parity report #1—What Every Marketer Needs To Know: U.S. Women’s Soccer Fans--August 2025
This report summarized results from a survey of U.S. Women’s Soccer Fans began by saying: “Women’s sports comprise one of the fastest-growing parts of the sports industry in the U.S., providing big upside for brands that invest across the ecosystem. As noted in U.S. Women’s Sports 2025: Give The Fans What They Want, the greatest return for brands is a stronger relationship with the women’s sports audience. This is a consumer base known to be especially loyal and engaged.
"From the data, it’s clear. Whether it’s about building trust or strengthening consumer sentiment, if your brand wants an improved relationship with consumers (and let’s face it, what brand doesn’t?), the women’s soccer audience deserves your attention. The timing could not be better for brands to invest. With the 2024 launch of the USL Super League (since renamed the Gainbridge Super League), the U.S. boasts two top-tier domestic leagues.
"That means there are now year-round opportunities to reach fans of women’s professional soccer. In addition, between two FIFA World Cups, the Olympics, and the Paralympics, the U.S. will host four major global soccer events by 2031. In that same timespan, the women’s soccer fanbase is expected to grow by nearly 40% globally, becoming one of the top five worldwide sports. The growth is already well underway, with the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 setting new U.S. television records. So, how can your brand take home gold? We break it down for you: what every marketer needs to know about women’s soccer fans in the U.S.” (Page 2).
“More than 1 in 4 fans of women’s soccer have made a purchase because of a brand’s sponsorship, making them 58% more likely to do so than other women’s sports fans. And there’s an appetite for more: 60% of women’s soccer fans say brands are still not investing enough in women’s sports. That makes them 35% more likely than other women’s sports fans to feel this way” (Page 3).
WOMEN’S SOCCER FANS ARE THE MOST DEEPLY TRUSTING AND THE MOST LIKELY TO ACT
#1 The women’s sports consumer is one of the most engaged audiences’ brands can reach — and women’s soccer fans are especially valuable. When it comes to the products athletes promote, women’s soccer fans have the greatest trust. They are 34% more likely than other women’s sports fans to say they trust women athletes “a lot.
CATEGORIES HAVING IMPACT IN WOMEN’S SOCCER
#2 Across women’s sports, including women’s soccer, Apparel, Food & Beverage, and Health & Beauty brands have made themselves known. Consumers say they are most aware of these brands sponsoring women’s sports. In addition, some categories have had a unique breakthrough with this audience. Women’s soccer fans are 1.9x as likely to be aware of Travel brands. They are also 1.5x as likely to be aware of Technology brands and 1.4x as likely to be aware of Banking & Financial Services or Insurance brands sponsoring women’s sports.
ATHLETE PRODUCT COLLABS ARE QUEEN
#3 Athlete-driven product collaborations are the #1 way women’s soccer fans say they want to see brands show up. Nearly half say they would be likely to engage with a brand that does so. Other top contenders to drive engagement? Cause-driven campaigns/ community initiatives and social media giveaways/contests featuring women athletes” (Page 4).
On page 5, the report emphasizes that women’s soccer is a chance for marketers to reach a differentiated audience:
“Nearly two-thirds (63%) of U.S. soccer fans watch women's soccer – with 1 in 4 watching the women’s game exclusively.
25% watch only women’s soccer among U.S. soccer fans
37% watch only men’s soccer
38% watch both men’s and women’s soccer
As the U.S. gears up to host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, brands that spread marketing across men’s and women’s soccer will maximize reach. Better yet, carry that investment through the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 — and the U.S.-hosted 2031 tourney. Brands that don’t may miss 25% of the soccer audience” (Page 6).
On Page 7, the report shows that, among women soccer fans, the most popular league is the NWSL (49%), followed by Major League Soccer (men’s) at 45%, with the now two year old Gainbridge Super League third at a strong 32%. The report further explains: “Brands that want to own the women’s soccer space should invest across both the NWSL and GSL (Gainbridge Super League). By doing so, brands can access year-round inventory to reach the nearly two-thirds of women’s soccer fans who have an avid following for at least one of these leagues.” I’m not sure that the individual leagues would promote sponsorship with their competitor, but it speaks to the overall growth of the sport rather than an individual loop.
On page 8, the report states that, after soccer, the top three women’s sports watched by women’s soccer fans are:
60% Women’s Basketball
43% Women’s Volleyball
39% Women’s Tennis
On page 9, the report states that: “The believability boost in women’s soccer is real. 78% of women’s soccer fans trust women athletes. Compared to other women’s sports fans, women’s soccer fans are 34% more likely to trust women athletes ‘a lot.’ 51% of women’s soccer fans trust a brand more based on their investment in women’s sports—the most across women’s sports.”
“Furthermore, compared to all women’s sports fans, women’s soccer fans are the most likely to see meaningful relationships between sponsors and their consumers as 64% of women’s soccer fans believe a brand is progressive or forward thinking based on investing in women’s sports. 65% of women’s soccer fans say they are proud to support the brand based on their investment in women’s sports.”
On Page 10, the report emphasized that companies should drive their ROI (Return on Investment) with women’s soccer fans because: “Fans of women’s sports say brand sponsorships shape their purchasing behaviors, women’s soccer fans are the audience most influenced by sponsors’ spending. About half of women’s soccer fans say a brand’s sponsorship in women’s sports (like an athlete partnership) makes them more likely to buy the brand’s products.
Brands that want to convert consumers should spend marketing dollars in women’s soccer. For greatest impact, blend athlete partnerships with investments in women’s soccer leagues, teams, tournaments, media partners, and other entities.” Again, the Parity report is interested in the overall growth of the sport, utilizing many different avenues for their marketing programs.
Brand categories with the greatest consumer awareness in women’s soccer were:
Apparel
Food and Beverage
Health and Beauty
Other categories making a unique impact in women’s soccer, compared to other women’s sports, included:
Travel
Technology
Banking and Financial Services
Insurance
“Fans of women’s soccer are 1.9x as likely to be aware of Travel brands activating than other women’s sports fans. Fans of women’s soccer are 1.5x as likely to be aware of Technology brands activating compared to other women’s sports fans.” For Banking and Insurance—"Fans of women’s soccer are 1.4x as likely to be aware of these brands activating compared to other women’s sports fans.”
The report advised that: “Brands in categories consumers have noticed (above) should focus on deepening their impact, through a variety of activation types (e.g., product collaborations with athletes). Meanwhile, brands in categories not yet on consumers’ radars — such as Automotive, Retail, and Restaurants — should experiment with different ways to activate, moving quickly to grab mindshare before their competitors do” (Page 11).
The report also presented some specific example of team/player sponsor integration effort (Pages 12-17).
The survey’s research methodology is described at the end of the report: “This poll was conducted in partnership with SurveyMonkey (a market research survey platform company) (from) April 8-11, 2025 among a national sample of 2,385 U.S. adults 18+. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 2.0 percentage points.
Data were weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States. Comparisons to other women’s sports consider the following: basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf, softball, and hockey. We define a women’s sports fan as someone who watches women’s sports at least a few times annually. Rounding may result in statistics not adding up to the expected value.” (Page 21)
The report’s sponsor works closely with over 110 women footballers: “Parity, a Group 1001 company, is the leading platform for professional women athlete partnerships. With a mission to close the gender income gap in sports and beyond, Parity connects brands with a diverse network of more than 1,100 women athletes from 85 sports. Through sponsorship activations, content collaborations, and strategic advisory, Parity helps brands authentically engage the most trusted voices in sports today.” (Pages 20-21)
Note: Just this week, the Kansas City Current announced a multifaceted Partnership with Arvest Bank, including suite level and pitch club naming rights at CPKC Stadium, in a multi-year deal. Arvest Bank, a community-focused full-service bank, has 20 branches located throughout the Greater Kansas City region. Arvest entered the Kansas City market in 2009 and has a significant footprint in the region, including more than 200 locations across Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
A media release further said: “This multifaceted partnership between the Current and Arvest will be rooted in community, as both parties will collaborate on engaging community events that leave a lasting impression on the Kansas City Metro. Arvest enriches the communities it serves through various initiatives, including the bank’s annual Million Meals campaign, which helps raise awareness and money each spring to fight food insecurity in its four-state footprint.
"Earlier this month, Arvest announced a dedicated bilingual branch in Kansas City, Kan., scheduled to open later this year, which will provide accessible financial services to the community in both English and Spanish… Arvest will also continue as the presenting sponsor of the Kansas City Current Kickoff Luncheon, hosted by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, for the second consecutive year. Additionally, Arvest’s logo will permanently feature above the premium entryway at CPKC Stadium and inside the Arvest Bank Club and Suites beginning in 2026.”
Parity report #2—U.S. Women’s Sports 2025: Give the Fans What They Want
Another Parity report issued late in 2025 focused on women’s sports in general, including what U.S Women’s sports fans watched, their trust in women’s athletes, and sponsorship information, including what fans want from brands engaging with women’s sports teams and leagues.
On page 2, the report provides important background on women’s sports today: “For those who follow women’s sports, the last 12 months have been wild. Record-setting viewership across multiple sports. A hype-worthy Olympic and Paralympic storytelling cycle. Surging new leagues. Fiercely contested franchise bids. Sizzling team valuations. Some days it feels like it’s literally all happening, and the numbers reflect that frenzy. In late 2023 Deloitte predicted that global women’s sports revenue would smash through the $1 billion barrier in 2024; when all was said and done, their $1.28B projection was short by a cool $600 million (and time will tell if their $2.35B forecast for 2025 proves similarly conservative).
"For marketers and sponsorship teams following along, this acceleration presents incredible opportunity, but also creates a strategic dilemma. Given the many ‘ways to play’, how can brands tap into the massive momentum of women’s sports in the most impactful way?
"At Parity we think constantly about this dilemma and we spend our days helping clients forge winning strategies. Following our 2024 research on international women’s sports fandom in partnership with SurveyMonkey (a market research survey platform used for all types of consumer and business surveys), we narrowed our focus to the U.S. and asked more pointed commercial questions.
"This resulting report shows where U.S. audiences are one year on from our original study, but also dives into new areas such as how trust in women athletes is deepening, which industry categories are leaving the strongest impression as sponsors, and what kind of involvement fans actually want to see from brands that participate. Our goal: to provide practical inputs to brands actively exploring partnerships in women’s sports. We hope you find it useful” (Page 2).
“In overall viewership, Basketball increased in 2025 over 2024 (63% vs. 56%) to lead, followed by Volleyball down slightly (37% in 2025 vs. 39% in 2024) and Soccer (34% in 2025 up from 32% in 2024), leapfrogging Tennis (33% in 2025 vs. 37% in 2024)” (Page 3). The report found a very encouraging data finding that: “The percentage of women who watch women’s soccer (34% in 2025) exceeded the percentage of men who watched men’s soccer (26%), which was also found for basketball and tennis” (Page 4).
“In line with what women’s sports fans say they’re watching, the most popular women’s sports league by far is the WNBA, with 51% of U.S. women’s sports fans self-identifying as fans. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) are clustered together next, with 19-20% of women’s sports fans saying they are fans. These entities have all been around for a while, unlike the remaining leagues we asked about. Encouragingly, the newer leagues already seem to be gaining traction among women’s sports fans.”
For the NWSL, founded in 2013, the percentage of women’s sports fans who watched games was at 19%, with the new USL Super League at 13%. (Page 6).
The report then looked at the influence and credibility of professional women athletes to followers of women’s sports: “Pro Women Athletes: More Widely Trusted Than Ever Our latest research shows that the influence and credibility of professional women athletes now extends well beyond women’s sports fans. For those looking to build authentic brand partnerships—which we hope is all of you—here’s some encouraging news: the percentage of respondents who trust that a woman athlete believes in the products she promotes has grown across multiple cohorts in the last 12 months.
In fact, this trust factor grew fastest among men who watch women’s sports (+8 percentage points vs. last year), those who watch women’s sports daily or weekly (+6 percentage points), and those who say they never watch women’s sports. 58% of these ‘never-watchers’ said they trust that women athletes believe in the products they promote—a full 6 percentage points higher than last year. Given sustained high and rising levels of trust across multiple consumer cohorts, forging partnerships with women athletes is an increasingly smart bet to engage key audiences, build credibility, and cultivate brand love” (Page 7).
The report’s authors then looked at women’s sports sponsorships by brand segment: “When we asked our respondents which brand categories they’re aware sponsor women’s sports, three categories emerge in a class of their own across almost all respondent cohorts: Apparel, Food & Beverage, and Health & Beauty” (Page 9).
“When it comes to fan awareness of categories sponsoring women’s sports, Apparel stands high above the rest. Open-ended responses suggest that Nike, and to a lesser extent brands like New Balance, Lululemon and Athleta, drive heightened awareness of category involvement. (This survey was in the field roughly two months after Super Bowl LIX, and people were still buzzing about Nike’s “You can’t win, so win” commercial.) Women who watch women’s sports are even more aware of sponsors in Apparel (71% vs. 58% of men who watch women’s sports) and Health & Beauty (38% of women vs. 31% of men). On the other hand, men who watch women’s sports are more likely than women watchers to be aware of sponsorship by Restaurants (41% vs 38%), Banking & Financial Services (25% vs 17%), and Automotive companies (22% vs 13%)” Page 10.
In terms of future behavior, the report added: “We also asked which categories people are most interested in seeing sponsor women’s sports. While Apparel, Food & Beverage and Health & Beauty again score highly across all audiences, women who watch women’s sports also have strong appetite to see Travel, Technology, Retail, and Banking & Financial Services as sponsors, while men who watch women’s sports are relatively more excited about Technology and Automotive sponsors” (Page 11).
When it comes to sponsorships for organizations, the impact of their involvement on consumers’ likelihood to purchase is key, helping to benchmark Return on Investment (ROI), particularly for sponsorship renewals or gravitating to other sports or leagues. My market research company a few years ago helped a soccer team in the U.S. gain a significant sponsorship away from an American football team by showing the demographics of the soccer team (very diverse, with a high level of younger Latino/Latina fans) versus the older, homogenous audience for the American football side.
The report noted: “Here’s why all of this matters: sponsorship awareness has a clear bearing on consumer purchase decisions. If we look across all categories, on average 19% or one in five sports fans say that sponsorship of women’s sports makes them more likely to consider purchasing from that category. The average rises to 24% of women’s sports fans, roughly one in four. For women watching women’s sports, impact on likelihood to purchase is highest for sponsors in Apparel (40%), Health & Beauty (36%), Food & Beverage (33%), and Retail (29%). Men watching women’s sports seem most swayed by their stomachs: 28% say they’re more likely to consider purchasing from Food & Beverage sponsors while 27% are more likely to consider purchasing from Restaurant sponsors” (Page 12).
The report then discussed what they learned from fans in terms of what they wanted from brands entering women’s sports: “Our research findings support Parity’s thesis: The optimal women’s sports portfolio for any brand combines sponsorship of assets (whether a league, a team, or a tournament) AND partnerships with professional women athletes. By working directly with the athletes themselves, brands can boost audience trust, lean into organic storytelling opportunities, and achieve greater activation flexibility” (Page 13).
“Athlete partnerships prove slightly more influential than all other sponsorship options across cohorts we surveyed. We also noted the following:
Younger people who watch sports exhibit a greater likelihood to purchase from women’s sports sponsors. Nearly half of Gen Z and Millennial sport watchers are more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a woman athlete (46%) or team (46%), compared to all sports fans (36% for athlete, 34% for team). Brands looking to engage younger audiences should lean into partnerships with women athletes.
Those who watch women’s sports daily or weekly are dramatically more likely to say their purchase decisions are influenced by sponsorships. Two-thirds (67%) say they are more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a woman athlete. Hardcore women’s sports fans take notice and will reward sponsors that step up” (Page 14).
On page 15, the report asked their survey participants who watch women’s sports: “What would make them most likely to engage with a brand sponsor. The answers that bubbled to the top: cause-driven campaigns (36%) and products designed in partnership with women athletes (36%). Cause-driven campaigns resonated most strongly with men who watch women’s sports, while women watchers seem most passionate about the potential for brands to build and design products in collaboration with women athletes.”
The report’s authors conclude the research study on Page 18 with the following conclusions: “We began this report by reflecting on a wild 12 months in women’s professional sports, and as we approach mid-2025, we see no signs of slowdown. While brand investment dollars continue to be concentrated in a handful of sports—witness the WNBA tipping off its season with a record 45 official sponsors—we see growing appetite from brands to think outside the box and find new ways to grow their business through women’s sports.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey