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

世界のサッカーファンの3分の1以上がブランドスポンサーシップに魅力を感じており、全スポーツスポンサーシップの41％がこのスポーツである。

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.

女子スポーツは急速に成長しており、WNBAのファンベースはわずか2年で31％以上も増加した。

New York  – June 12, 2025 – Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, today released its 2025 グローバルスポーツレポート. The report examines the evolving sports landscape, helping brands and rights holders better understand today’s fans as the world of sports explodes. 

報告書で明らかになった主なハイライトは以下の通り：

• 世界のサッカーファンの3分の1以上（67％）がスポンサーシップに魅力を感じているのに対し、一般人口の半数強（54％）はスポンサーシップに魅力を感じている。
• この傾向は米国で最も顕著で、サッカーファンは、同国の一般的なスポーツファンよりもブランド・スポンサーシップに対する受容度が著しく高く、このスポーツが世界で最も支配的な市場のひとつであるブラジルに次いで2番目に高い。
• 北米で開催されるFIFAワールドカップ2026™を含め、2025年、2026年、2027年に大きな大会が予定されている米国市場は、若く多様で豊かなファン層（ミレニアル世代またはZ世代が76％、ヒスパニック系が22％、世帯収入10万ドル以上が34％）に支えられて大きく成長する態勢にある。
• 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.

第三に、急速に進化するスポーツメディアの状況は、ブランド、広告主、ライツホルダー、マーケターにとって、従来のプラットフォームとデジタルプラットフォームで多様な視聴者を取り込む大きな機会を提供している。ライブスポーツは引き続きファンとのエンゲージメントを強力に推進するものであり、ストリーミングは高齢のファン層を惹きつけ（2022年から2024年にかけて50歳以上の視聴者が21%増加）、一方、TGLゴルフリーグのような革新的なフォーマットは、リニアチャンネルに従来とは異なる若い視聴者（18～34歳のTGL視聴者の32%はPGAの正規視聴者ではない）を取り込むことに成功している。 

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.

ニールセンについて

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 そして Instagram).

報道関係者