The hotly anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, which kicks off on July 20 in Auckland, has the potential to become the most attended standalone women’s sporting event in history—an indisputable indicator of the dazzling momentum of women’s soccer.

The numbers tell the story. The 2019 tournament saw a combined 1.12 billion viewers, with an average match viewership draw of almost 17.5 million–double the numbers from 2015. The final matchup—the USA vs. the Netherlands—was the most-watched game in the tournament’s history, peaking at nearly 264 million unique viewers. On the back of this resounding success, ticket sales for this year’s tournament had already surpassed one million by early June.

Not surprisingly, this year’s sponsors are pulling out all the stops in anticipation. Visa—which became the first global FIFA women’s soccer partner in 2021, and will serve as the World Cup’s exclusive payment service partner this year—has added 33 athletes representing 27 countries to its roster of sponsored players. Unilever has signed on to sponsor FIFA’s women’s development program with additional funding and other support—marking the first time the organization has partnered with personal care brands across its women’s, men’s, and esports competitions.

These brands are poised to reap big returns on their investment. According to global consultancy Kantar, 50% of fans would go out of their way to support brands that sponsor women’s sports—which trends higher for Gen Z at 63% and Millennials at 66%. All of which is music to the ears of players like American superstar Alex Morgan and Swiss phenom Alisha Lehmann, who are racking up endorsements and social media followers at a pace that rivals some of the world’s highest-profile male pro athletes.

Speaking of, the ongoing push for pay parity in pro sports is also reflected in this year’s matchup, where the prize pool stands at $110 million, compared to $30 million in 2019. While just 25% of the $440 million awarded at last year’s FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar, this whopping 367% increase constitutes a sizable step in the right direction–and hints at even bigger and better things to come for both women’s soccer, and women’s athletics as a whole.

Authored jointly by SponsorUnited’s Marketing Research & Insights, Analytics, and Marketing teams, it delivers an in-depth analysis of more than 230 brands, over 120 athletes, and nearly 905 social posts between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023.