Global interest in women’s football has risen from 16% in '11, when the last FIFA Women’s World Cup was played, to 21% in '14, according to SportsDNA data by Repucom. Repucom research shows that the FIFA Women’s World Cup itself has a global fan base of more than 200 million. Germany, the host nation in '11, has 15.5 million fans looking forward to the Women’s World Cup, while Canada has a fan base of three million. In the U.S., where English-language coverage of the tournament is being broadcast by Fox for the first time this year, there are 35.5 million potential Cup fans, the second-largest single market behind China. Given the advantageous time zone -- Fox plans to broadcast five games in prime-time -- and a competitive U.S. team -- the tournament is likely to yield large audiences in the U.S. Repucom U.S. Head of Consulting Michael O’Hara Lynch said, "Based on what we saw at the 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup, the London 2012 Olympic Games and the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, expect record North American interest in the 2015 FIFA World Cup. ... A new coveted millennial generation of fans are being captured, making football an increasingly attractive proposition for sponsors -- and the women’s game offers a comparatively blank canvas for brands. As FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 will likely show, women’s football offers compelling commercial opportunities" (Repucom).
