Women’s sports organizations around the world are expected to generate $2.35 billion in revenue this year, according to a new report from Deloitte, a 25% increase from last year driven primarily by commercial revenue growth.
While basketball and soccer lead the pack, according to Deloitte’s findings, the report is the latest indication that niche sports like volleyball and cricket are also attracting growing interest from brands.
Pick up the pace: Women’s sports organizations brought in $1.88 billion in 2024, according to Deloitte, beating its original forecast of $1.28 billion. Last year marked the first time that women’s sports crossed the billion-dollar mark, up from $981 million in 2023 and $692 million in 2022.
In each of the past three years, commercial revenue, which includes sponsorships and merchandise sales, has accounted for the largest share of overall revenue for women’s sports. Matchday and broadcast earnings make up smaller pieces of the pie, though matchday revenue is on the rise, Deloitte found.
Commercial revenue on its own generated more than $1 billion for the first time last year, per Deloitte, and it is expected to reach $1.26 billion this year. That would make up 54% of women’s sports revenue for the year, a smaller share than each of the three years prior.
Matchday revenue is predicted to account for 21% of overall revenue this year, down from 24% last year, but up from 14% in 2023 and 11% in 2022.
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The share of revenue from broadcast deals has remained relatively steady in that time period.
The big two: Basketball and soccer are anticipated to generate the most revenue of women’s sports globally, per the report. Basketball is expected to account for 44%, or $1.03 billion, up from 38% last year. Soccer is on track to bring in $820 million, which would be a 35% share, down from 39% last year. But “a wider selection of women’s sports, such as cricket and volleyball, have reported strong growth,” too, according to Deloitte.
Geographically speaking, more than half of global women’s sports revenue last year came from North America, and Deloitte anticipates that share will grow to 59% this year. Europe is predicted to follow, with 18% of revenue.
“As the visibility of women’s sport and women athletes continues to improve, new fans, particularly from younger generations and those that may have not engaged in sport previously, are engaging with women’s sport through diverse entry points, including social media, streaming platforms, and innovative content formats,” per the report.
As audience interest grows, so does that of marketers—including Deloitte itself, which sponsors both the WNBA and the NWSL, and has recently encouraged other brands to invest more in women’s sports.