Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Alex Morgan Predicts Big Change In Women's Soccer By 2030

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Marcelo Cartaxo | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 1:22 PM ET

Alex Morgan is still shaping the future of soccer, even after hanging up her boots. The USWNT icon helped build the team into the best in the world, and the women’s game is growing faster than ever.

Women's soccer is on course to reach 800 million fans by 2030. This would turn the sport into the fifth largest in the world. According to a report by Nielsen Sports and PepsiCo, the sport is expected to increase 38% over the next five years, and many sponsors are seeing this as an opportunity to capitalize on an affluent new market.

Currently, women's soccer has the tenth-largest global fan base, behind men's soccer, basketball, swimming, Formula 1, Track and Field, tennis, volleyball, cycling and badminton - a sport notably big in Asia.

Alex Morgan shared in her Instagram page the research made by Nielsen Sports and PepsiCo, stating that it's 'no surprise' the sport will grow exponentially in the next five years.

Women's soccer is on track to reach 800 million fans by 2030 with a 38% increase in reach, beating out sports like Formula One and tennis

(Study done by Nielsen Sports & Pepsico) pic.twitter.com/oSfYhXeOxP
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 17, 2025

Major competitions taking place in between 2025 and 2030 - including the UEFA Women's Euro - is one of the motivating factors for the sport to be even more on the spotlight.

The sport is growing outside Europe and America

Europe has been a major force behind the rise of the women’s game. In the UK, interest surged in the first half of 2022, right before England hosted the UEFA Women’s Euro. Switzerland, which hosted this year, saw its own jump — roughly 22% more people started following the sport.

The growth isn’t limited to Europe. In France, the number of female players has risen by 150% over the past five years, and in Spain by 95%. Meanwhile, in China, the sport has taken off in a big way — participation has jumped 300%, bringing in an estimated 186 million new fans. The data also shows that people who play the game are about 26% more likely to stick with it as passionate fans.

Today, roughly half of all women’s soccer fans are between 25 and 44, compared to 44% for sports in general. Almost half of that group are in the highest income bracket — well above the average across all sports. It’s a clear sign that sponsors have a chance to connect with one of the most valuable audiences in the sports world.

Back in 2019, about 57% of women’s soccer fans were men. But that balance has shifted. By 2024, the split was roughly even, and by the end of the decade it’s expected to flip completely — with roughly 60% of the sport’s fan base made up of women.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: