Ad inventory for this summer’s Women’s World Cup is all but spoken for

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is still more than a month away, but ad inventory is already 90% sold out, according to Fox Sports, which will broadcast this year’s game in the US.

Why the heightened advertiser interest? FIFA expanded the tournament from 24 to 32 teams, which means more games and more ad inventory, for one. The US Women’s National Team is also going for its third straight World Cup win. Plus, women’s sports across the board have been drawing more viewers lately.

The advertisers: So far, the World Cup’s slate of advertisers includes brands in the auto, financial services, insurance, telecom, and wireless industries.

• Verizon will sponsor the pregame.
• Volkswagen is sponsoring the halftime show.
• Google will sponsor the “bridge” show that takes place between games.

In another win for women’s soccer, ad revenue is up 50% since the 2019 World Cup, Mike Petruzzi, SVP of sales for Fox Sports, told Ad Age. Kantar estimated that the last tournament generated more than $85 million from ad sales, per Sportico.

The team: The USWNT is one of only two teams to have won multiple Women’s World Cup titles. This year’s roster hasn’t yet been announced, but it’s sure to include superstars of the sport, some of whom Fox is already touting in a new commercial promoting the World Cup. It features Crystal Dunn, Naomi Girma, Rose Lavelle, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe.

+1: This year’s World Cup is on pace to be the most-attended women’s sporting event ever. FIFA has sold more than 1 million tickets so far, according to Gianni Infantino, the organization’s president.