Women’s sport is a hot topic that can no longer be ignored. There has been an accelerated growth and level of investment in recent years that is long overdue.
Given the current trend, it seems impossible to think that the momentum will not accelerate even further in 2025. People are starting to understand that there is real value in women’s sport and not just as a side show from the men’s game.
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The 2025 sporting calendar is poised for a significant year, with a host of major competitions anticipated to dominate popular content and fan engagement.
A notable addition to the 2025 calendar is the inaugural season of a new basketball league in the United States, named Unrivaled. Following two years of substantial growth for women’s basketball and the WNBA, stakeholders are eager to capitalize on this momentum.
The league introduces a novel three-on-three format set to commence in January and will feature an innovative one-on-one tournament. This league aims to showcase the breadth of talent in women’s basketball and bring more athletes into prominence.
Caitlin Clark has been instrumental in the recent expansion of the sport, yet the introduction of fresh talent is essential to maintain fan interest. The Unrivaled league presents athletes like A’ja Wilson with enhanced opportunities to assert their dominance in the sport, amidst others who feel overshadowed by the attention Clark has received.
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By GlobalDataAdditionally, the new competition will provide players with increased financial prospects beyond the four-month WNBA season. Historically, many athletes would participate in leagues in Eastern Europe during the WNBA offseason.
However, Unrivaled offers an attractive alternative in 2025, particularly considering the events involving Brittney Griner in February 2022. While playing in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Griner was detained by Russian customs on charges of drug smuggling and subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison.
She was released in December 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange. The Unrivaled league thus addresses the concerns that have arisen since Griner’s arrest – providing a secure and lucrative option for players during the offseason.
Unrivaled has already attracted strong commercial interest for its first season. After Series A funding in 2024, the league was able to secure income of $28 million.
The league has also secured big-name sponsorship deals with Samsung, Sephora, Vistaprint, Miller Lite, Under Armour, Wilson, State Farm and Ally. The media rights are held by TNT Sports in the United States, ensuring potential visibility to mainstream audiences.
Tennis is another highly popular women’s sport that is expected to continue its growth trajectory in 2025. The sport boasts a robust cadre of champions who compete in major tournaments and grand slams, captivating fans.
For several years, the inconsistency of women’s players, with the notable exception of Serena Williams, was a significant disappointment. However, the current cohort of elite players has enabled more extensive profiling of female athletes. Notably, nine of the last 12 grand slam titles have been claimed by four of the top players—Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina.
These athletes have demonstrated remarkable consistency and have established themselves as the preeminent players on the tour. The rivalries within this group have heightened fan interest, potentially offering benefits akin to those experienced during the golden era of men’s tennis, when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic were in competition.
Another significant development anticipated for the sport in 2025 is the proposed merger of the WTA Tour with the ATP Tour. While this prospective merger may not initially impact scheduling and prize money, it holds the promise of long-term advantages by uniting the two tours under a single organizational umbrella.
With a unified structure, the calls for women’s tennis to offer more equitable prize money throughout the season – beyond the grand slams – could become more compelling and difficult to dismiss. The primary challenge at present arises from the disproportionate revenue distribution between the WTA and ATP Tours, with the ATP generating four times the revenue of the WTA.
One of the most anticipated competitions in the UK this year is the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, scheduled to take place between August and September. The sport’s professionalism continues to expand globally, and this tournament offers another chance to enhance its profile and commercial appeal.
The growing popularity of women’s rugby is demonstrated by the ticket sales process, where over 200,000 tickets were sold before the end of 2024. This figure represents a 50% increase compared to the total sales for the previous World Cup in 2022.
The matches will be held in large stadiums, which will likely contribute to raising the sport’s visibility. Venues such as Twickenham, the Stadium of Light, and Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium, each with a capacity of over 30,000, are slated to host the games.
The significance of promoting female athletes was underscored in rugby in 2024, particularly with the rise of Ilona Maher. The Team USA 2024 bronze medalist has become a household name, significantly enhancing the sport’s image in the United States in a relatively short period. Her second-place finish on the popular entertainment show “Dancing with the Stars” has helped her gain a following of 4.8 million on Instagram, making her the most followed rugby player, irrespective of gender.
Maher’s prominence in the sport is poised to be a formidable asset in attracting more girls to rugby, as she is a strong advocate for body positivity and redefining the concept of femininity.
Women’s soccer is poised for growth during another significant event this year, the UEFA Women’s European Championship. Teams are eager to move past the controversies that overshadowed Spain’s victory at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
High-quality soccer at the tournament is expected to refocus fan interest on the sport itself and highlight its ongoing development. By December 2024, the European Championship had sold over 300,000 tickets. Ensuring accessibility and attracting large audiences remain central goals for the event, with UEFA maintaining affordable ticket prices, ranging from CHF 25-90 (USD 27-98).
Nevertheless, a considerable disparity persists between men’s and women’s soccer that requires attention and reduction. The 2025 Women’s Euro will offer a total prize fund of EUR 41 million, signifying a 156% increase from the previous tournament in 2022. Despite this significant rise, the gap compared to the men’s game remains substantial – the 2024 men’s European Championship featured a prize pool of EUR 331 million.
Boxing is another major sport poised to continue its upward trajectory in 2025. Its fighters are being showcased on some of the sport’s most significant cards, not only in supporting roles but also as headliners. Boxing is set to further elevate the profile of its female fighters, aided by the current ease of organizing marquee matchups in each division.
Notable potential bouts anticipated this year include Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper; Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in a trilogy fight at Croke Park; and an all-British clash between Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas.
Across all sports, the women’s sector must concentrate on cultivating the individual profiles of its leading figures to better connect with fans and ensure their continued interest in the sport. Following significant achievements in 2024, it would be beneficial to see a concerted effort to promote athletes such as Keely Hodgkinson in track and field.
The British 800m champion aims to build on her gold-medal victory at the Paris Olympics. She possesses considerable marketing appeal that brands can support and has the potential to shatter one of the oldest world records in athletics this year—Jarmila Kratochvilova’s time of 1 minute 53.38 seconds.
