Case Study
Undervalued to unstoppable
Why and how women’s football is reshaping global sports
Introduction
Tracking the rise of a global sport
As one of the world’s biggest supporters of women’s football (soccer), PepsiCo collaborated with Nielsen to chart the global rise of the sport across audiences, participation, and brand relevance. Together, they produced “Undervalued to Unstoppable,” a landscape report built to inspire greater investment, faster growth, and more meaningful sponsorship in one of the fastest-growing fandoms in sport.
Objective
Understanding and charting the brand potential in women’s football
PepsiCo wanted to quantify and illustrate the global growth of women’s football and spotlight where, why, and how brands can invest to drive both cultural relevance and commercial return.
Challenge
Proving the value of the movement
While interest in women’s football has exploded since 2019, many brands still see it as a niche rights offer. PepsiCo and Nielsen wanted to build a globally recognized case for investment—one that captured the sport’s reach, trajectory, and brand alignment across key markets.
Solution
Turning data into momentum
Nielsen deployed a bespoke insight program combining syndicated global data sets across Nielsen Fan Insights, Sports Sponsorship Intelligence, Media Impact, and global participation. The result: a multi-market, multi-channel view of how women’s football is evolving—and what it offers brands ready to invest.
Key findings
800M
A growing global fan base
The global women’s football fanbase is expected to grow to 800 million by 2030, up from more than 500 million today.
60%
A female-led fanbase
By 2030, 60% of women’s football fans globally will be female—creating one of the few sports where women represent a majority audience.
72%
Fans want more brand investment
Fans connect sponsorship with positive sentiment, and 72% of sports fans in the UK believe sponsoring women’s sports reflects positively on the sponsor brand.
79%
Diversified interests
Women’s football fans are cultural drivers; 79% are interested in film (vs. 64% of the general population), 65% are interested in music (vs. 45%) and 64% are interested in video games (vs. 47%).
Results
A platform for action and influence
PepsiCo and Nielsen can now use “Undervalued to Unstoppable” as a core strategic asset—guiding internal decision-making, external partnerships, and industry engagement. The report has been used across brand marketing, media outreach, and C-suite presentations. Its influence will likely extend beyond PepsiCo, with rights holders, federations and sponsors using the findings to reframe how they value and invest in the women’s game.
How it works
A custom-built insight engine
Nielsen designed a tailored analytics framework that integrated global and local syndicated data sets across Nielsen Fan Insights, as well as media consumption trends, social engagement, and sponsorship impact. Combined with growth modeling and participation data, the solution delivered a nuanced picture of opportunity facing the sport, and those that partner with it. Outputs included future-forward forecasts, brand alignment scoring, and audience overlap mapping, giving PepsiCo a blueprint for investment with long-term payoff.
Conclusion
Proof that pays off
“Undervalued to Unstoppable” helps industry leaders stop guessing and start investing. It arms brands with data that proves women’s football isn’t emerging; it’s arrived. For marketers looking to grow with purpose and relevance, this is the moment to act.
“Women’s sports fans are expected to be 60% female by 2030, and the rise of women’s football presents a timely, targeted opportunity for all brands to build meaningful relevance. Through this collaboration with Nielsen, we’re sharing the data, the momentum, and the future-facing view of a fanbase that’s ready to be seen, heard, and championed.”
— Jane Wakely, EVP, Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer, PepsiCo
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