UEFA Women’s EURO 2025: A Sponsorship Milestone
Published on
by Kristin Podewils
Women’s football isn’t just growing, it’s surging. And few tournaments reflect that momentum more clearly than the UEFA Women’s EURO. With the next edition set to kick off in Switzerland on July 2, 2025, the championship is on track to break records once again from attendance and ticket sales to sponsorship engagement.
In this Insight:
Women’s Soccer Moves The Masses
Reach and market share have almost doubled in recent tournaments. While an average of 3.5 million people watched the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2017, the figure rose to almost 5.5 million in 2022.
The final of the Women’s EURO 2022 between Germany and England was watched by around 18 million viewers in Germany alone. According to ARD Media, even matches without German participation drew more than five million viewers in some cases.
Record crowds are expected in Swiss stadiums. Over 550,000 tickets have already been sold, nearly matching the total of 557,000 tickets sold for the 2022 tournament in England.
Purpose, Reach, Relevance: Why Sponsoring Women’s Football Pays Off
The true value lies deeper: women’s soccer thrives on commitment, community, and loyalty. It stands for values like equality and diversity, precisely what modern brands seek. Unlike the crowded sponsorship landscape in men’s football, women’s football offers fresh opportunities: To take a stand. To engage a long-overlooked audience. To drive real, positive change through sponsorship.
This is especially significant, as sponsors play an outsized role in women’s football: 66% of revenue at the top-selling women’s football clubs comes from advertising, compared to 44% for men’s clubs. And 44% of German women’s soccer fans become fans through the national team, making it the biggest growth driver.
44% of German women’s football fans become fans through the national team - making it the biggest growth driver.
Source: SPORTFIVE Whitepaper "The Rise of Women's Football"
Underrated Target Group, Huge Potential: Sponsors Lead The Way
For AXA Germany, sponsorship is a deliberate choice, aligning with its campaign on the gender health gap: “Being a woman shouldn’t be a risk.” AXA smartly uses storytelling, a widely adopted strategy in women’s sports marketing. Gender gaps in health, care, and pensions, as well as outdated stereotypes, open doors for companies in finance, insurance, automotive, and DIY sectors to connect with this long-overlooked target group through purpose-driven messaging.
Lidl’s involvement also aligns with its broader sports sponsorship strategy. Whether in handball, cycling, or football, Lidl supports both men’s and women’s teams, proving that visibility can drive positive societal change. Through its current “Never Stop Growing” initiative for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, Lidl reaches a high-purchasing-power audience that appreciates socially conscious branding: 86% of those interested in women’s football believe it’s important for sponsors to address socially relevant issues.
In addition, a 2023 SPORTFIVE survey found that 92% of all women’s football fans want to see more female-focused campaigns and sponsorships.
23 M
Germans (41%) are interested in women's football. This puts women's football on a par with men's handball and men's tennis.
86 %
of those interested in women's football find it important that sponsors are committed to socially relevant issues.
92 %
of all women's football fans would like to see more campaigns and sponsorships with a female focus in the future.
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A Movement, Not A Moment
Regardless of which team wins the tournament, one thing is already certain: the success story of women's football will not end with the UEFA Women’s EURO, but will continue to gather momentum afterwards. Sponsors should jump on this bandwagon now to take advantage of the momentum.
Further information and facts about women's football, including in the core market of Germany, can be found in our free Whitepaper: “The Rise of Women's Football” (English version and German Version)
