The future of Sport: Nielsen’s 2025 report reveals growth drivers

Oltre un terzo degli appassionati di calcio a livello mondiale trova attraente la sponsorizzazione di un marchio e il 41% di tutte le sponsorizzazioni sportive riguarda questo sport.

The FIFA World Cup 2026^TM will open up opportunities to break through with fans, particularly the U.S. fanbase, where 62% expect interest to grow.

Gli sport femminili sono in rapida crescita e la fanbase della WNBA è aumentata di oltre il 31% in soli due anni.

New York  – June 12, 2025 – Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, today released its 2025 Rapporto sullo sport globale. The report examines the evolving sports landscape, helping brands and rights holders better understand today’s fans as the world of sports explodes. 

Alcuni dei punti chiave rivelati dal rapporto includono:

• La fervente tifoseria del calcio è molto ricettiva nei confronti delle sponsorizzazioni: più di un terzo (67%) dei tifosi globali di calcio trova più attraente la sponsorizzazione dei marchi rispetto a poco più della metà della popolazione generale (54%).
• Questo si nota soprattutto negli Stati Uniti, dove i tifosi di calcio sono molto più ricettivi alle sponsorizzazioni dei marchi rispetto agli appassionati di sport in generale, secondi solo al Brasile, uno dei mercati più dominanti di questo sport a livello mondiale.
• Con i tornei più importanti in programma per il 2025, 2026 e 2027, tra cui la Coppa del Mondo FIFA 2026™ ospitata in Nord America, il mercato statunitense è pronto per una crescita significativa, trainata da una base di tifosi giovani, diversificati e benestanti (76% Millennials o Gen Z, 22% ispanici, 34% con reddito familiare superiore a 100.000 dollari) desiderosi di spendere con gli sponsor allineati.
• Interest in women’s sports is growing – reaching 50% of the general population globally in 2024, up from 45% in 2022

Today’s sports fans are more connected and passionate than ever. Globalization, diverse fandoms, and evolving media consumption are reshaping sports engagement. The report identifies three growth factors, empowering marketers to optimize sponsorship strategies and unlock global sports potential.

Jon Stainer, Global General Manager, Nielsen Sports, said: “The global sports industry is experiencing an exhilarating evolution, as live sports continue to grow and extend into all parts of media. At Nielsen, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the most important insights for broadcasters, brands, and organizations interested in connecting with fans. The data in our 2025 Global Sports Report illuminates precisely the opportunities that exist for these partners as the worldwide appeal of live sport, especially with major, worldwide sporting events on the horizon, gains even more momentum.”

Firstly, the report identifies that football, as the world’s most popular sport, presents a compelling opportunity to deepen engagement and drive ROI. With 51% global fandom, football significantly outpaces all other sports with notable regional variations — including Mexico at 64% fandom and a substantial 62 million fans in the U.S. alone, making it the fourth largest market globally. But getting brand sponsorship right depends on understanding the nuances of fans in target markets so as to capitalize on this passionate and engaged fanbase. 

Second, the significant surge in interest in women’s sports presents unparalleled opportunities for strategic brand investment and engagement, with particularly strong growth in major markets like India, China, the UK, and Germany. This growth is mirrored by specific sport expansions, notably women’s football and the WNBA, which has seen its U.S. fanbase grow over 31% in two years to 46.9 million, alongside a remarkable 201% increase in 2024 regular season viewership. 

Critically, women now form a larger share of fans for both women’s (47%) and men’s (42%) sports (up from 45% and 40% in 2022). This creates new, diverse, and highly engaged audiences demanding tailored approaches and brand opportunities. This expanding, receptive female fanbase underscores that supporting women’s sports is not merely a social gesture but a compelling business imperative, offering brands access to new consumer segments—as evidenced by luxury brands like Coach entering the WNBA sponsorship space, leveraging high purchase intent among women’s sports fans.

In terzo luogo, il panorama dei media sportivi in rapida evoluzione offre notevoli opportunità a marchi, inserzionisti, detentori di diritti e marketer per coinvolgere pubblici diversi attraverso piattaforme tradizionali e digitali. Gli sport dal vivo continuano a essere un potente motore di coinvolgimento dei fan, con lo streaming che attrae un segmento crescente di fan più anziani (aumento del 21% degli spettatori over 50 tra il 2022 e il 2024), mentre formati innovativi come il campionato di golf TGL stanno portando con successo spettatori più giovani e non tradizionali (il 32% degli spettatori del TGL tra i 18 e i 34 anni non sono spettatori abituali della PGA) sui canali lineari. 

Concurrently, social media is proving instrumental in globalizing sports and cultivating new fan bases. This is exemplified by the rapid rise of rugby fandom in new markets, driven by influential athletes like Ilona Maher—who grew her Instagram following by 141% during last year’s Olympic Games—and the accelerated growth of women following rugby globally. This dynamic environment, coupled with the emergence of new sports like pickleball and successful social-first brand activations (e.g., Nature Made®’s #ProPickle campaign), underscores the critical need for brands to strategically leverage diversified media and authentic social engagement to reach expanding fan demographics.

Informazioni su Nielsen

Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences—now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook e Instagram).

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