NWSL Final hits 1.18m viewers in record year for women's football

Updated: 27 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

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NWSL Final hits 1.18m viewers in record year for women's football

The 2025 NWSL Championship delivered a landmark moment for women’s football in the United States, with Gotham FC's 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit drawing a primetime average of 1,184,000 viewers on CBS.

The matchup - Gotham's second league title in three seasons - marked one of the biggest broadcast audiences in NWSL history and capped a postseason of record-breaking growth.

The championship broadcast peaked at 1.55 million viewers, underlining the rising national appetite for women's professional football.

It marks a significant year-on-year jump from the 2024 final and reinforces the NWSL's growing foothold on major network television.

Postseason Sees Surge Across TV, Attendance and Digital Metrics

Across seven linear postseason broadcasts on ABC, ESPN and CBS, the league averaged roughly 550,000 viewers, generating a cumulative audience of around 3.36 million - an 11 percent increase on last year.

The league also smashed its previous gate records, drawing 114,459 fans across the playoffs, making it the most attended NWSL postseason ever.

The demographic growth was even more striking as viewership among adults aged 18-34 surged by about 70 percent, reflecting the league's deepening appeal with younger audiences and future consumers.

Digital Explosion Drives Commercial Momentum

The league also posted tens of millions of impressions across social platforms during championship week, with engagement rates soaring.

That spike translated into increased merchandise sales and strong on-site spending, further strengthening the NWSL's commercial case for sponsors and broadcast partners.

The synergy between TV ratings, record attendance, and digital engagement paints a clear picture: women's football in the US is entering a commercial boom period, with the NWSL positioned as a central force in that rise.

A Landmark Year for the League

The 2025 campaign has arguably been the most commercially significant in NWSL history.

Sustained investment, star power, and deepening fan loyalty have pushed the league firmly into the mainstream sports conversation.

With the 2026 season expected to bring expanded TV deals and further audience growth, the league's trajectory continues to point sharply upward - both nationally and globally.

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