The National Women’s Soccer League shattered its own ceiling throughout the 2024 season, surpassing 2 million total attendees and averaging over 11,000 fans per game. As the Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride prepare to battle for the NWSL Championship on November 23, this surge in popularity reflects a broader revolution in women’s sports, where strategic marketing and enhanced media visibility have generated surging fan engagement.
The NWSL’s $60 million annual media rights deal with CBS and Amazon Prime has proved transformative, coinciding with similar success stories across women’s sports. The 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament outperformed men’s March Madness in viewership, while the WNBA secured record-breaking attendance figures, creating a virtuous cycle where success in one sport bolsters interest across the entire women’s sports landscape.
NWSL Team Expansion
The expansion of the NWSL has also catalyzed this growth, with new markets embracing women’s soccer at historic levels. Bay FC’s impressive debut season averaged 13,617 fans per game, while the Chicago Red Stars made history with 35,038 attendees at Wrigley Field. San Diego Wave FC led the league with 19,575 fans per game, proving that strong community connections can drive sustained attendance growth.
Importantly, the Washington Spirit’s path to the championship game does a nice job symbolizing this overall NWSL transformation. Their home attendance jumped from 5,300 in 2021 to consistently selling out Audi Field and averaging just under 14,000 fans per match in 2024. This attendance increase demonstrates the power of strategic venue selection and marketing in rapidly expanding a team’s fanbase. Meanwhile, Angel City FC’s recent $250 million valuation, which is the highest ever for a women’s sports franchise, signals that the business of women’s soccer has entered a new era.
Digital Revolution Fuels Women’s Sports Surge
This growth in attendance and fandom for the NWSL is also part of a larger transformation in women’s sports, where digital engagement and social media have generated momentum across all women’s leagues. The explosion of interest mirrors similar success stories in women’s basketball, where the NCAA women’s tournament outperformed men’s March Madness in viewership, and the WNBA continues to set new attendance records.
This surge is particularly evident in fan engagement on social platforms. WNBA fans lead all major U.S. professional leagues in social media engagement and sponsorship influence, with previous research determining that an impressive 80.8% of WNBA fans report sponsorship influence, which is significantly higher than the 68% average across other major leagues. This digital-first approach to fandom has created a powerful ecosystem where success in one women’s sport directly benefits others. The NWSL has capitalized on this trend through innovative partnerships like the Pitchside with Pixel program, which puts fans closer to the game through real-time, field-level content creation. This strategy has proven particularly effective with younger audiences, who increasingly consume sports content through social media platforms.
As a result of these digital efforts, the Spirit and Pride will be competing for the NWSL championship in front of an audience that extends beyond the stadium walls. The dramatic rise in social media engagement across women’s sports has created a critical cycle of visibility, turning casual viewers into passionate fans and establishing women’s professional sports as a powerhouse in the digital age. With approximately 80% of new fans experiencing the NWSL through live content last year, the league’s innovative approach to digital fan engagement has set a new standard for growth across women’s professional sports.
Preferences do not develop in isolation of consistent marketing and promotion, and the NWSL is reaping the benefits of these efforts. The NWSL championship match will kick off at 8:00 PM ET, November 23rd on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.