By James Green, Senior Account Manager
Summer 2025 is teeming with major sporting events, with Wimbledon and the FIFA Club World Cup both on the agenda. However, also to look forward to in this year’s sporting line up is the UEFA Women’s Euro, which kicked off in early July, where England’s Lionesses will defend their title as reigning European champions.
We surveyed 2,001 UK adults to uncover how the public feels about the Lionesses, and how much buzz there is around women’s football amid the broader sporting landscape this summer.
Male Brits are more likely to be cheering on the Lionesses
The findings show a strong show of support for women’s football. In fact, the Women’s Euros
featured in the top three sporting events that Brits plan to watch this summer, ranking higher than the Men’s u21 Euros.
- Almost 3 in 10 (29%) Brits surveyed* said they would be supporting the Lionesses in the
Women’s Euros, with those aged 25–34 the largest supporting age group (40%).** - The findings also show that male brits are taking a keen interest, with just over a third (34%)
surveyed saying they would be supporting the team in the tournament, compared to just
under a quarter (24%) of women who said the same.†
Support for women’s football is on the rise thanks to the Lionesses’ success
According to the survey, 7 in 10 (70%) Brits agree† that the public perception of women’s football has changed since the Lioness’ win in 2022.
Meanwhile, half (50%) of all Brits surveyed agree* their interest in women’s football has increased, highlighting the sport’s growing appeal. This is particularly noticeable among those aged 25–34, over 71% of whom agree† that they now follow women’s football more closely.
Lionesses’ fans are gearing up for a football marathon
Brits who will be supporting the Lionesses are hoping to catch an average of 72 matches during the tournament, with 3 in 10 (30%) saying they plan to watch an impressive 10 or more games.
Watching the games at home or at a friend or family member’s house is the most common way
people will be viewing the tournament this year, with 9 in 10 (90%) choosing this method, perhaps due to BBC and ITV broadcasting the games free-to-air. Online streaming (22%) and watching games at the pub (17%) are also popular viewing methods.
However, just over 1 in 10 (11%) dedicated Lionesses fans*** also say they will be travelling to
Switzerland to watch the games live.
Brands could be doing more to support women’s football
With support for the women’s game rising and TV viewing figures expected to be high, discussion often turns to whether brands are keeping pace. Not only in terms of showing their support for the women’s game, but also when it comes to leveraging the opportunities the sport offers to reach a greater audience.
The findings show that just over two thirds (67%)††† of Brits believe brands could do more to
support women’s football.
UEFA Women’s Euro sponsorship revenue doubling
Meanwhile, market analysis shows that the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro is expected to generate €32.5 million in sponsorship revenue‡, up from €15.3 million in 2022. Over 2 in 5 (44%) respondents from our survey agree* that they would be more likely to support brands that back women’s sport, highlighting a sizeable opportunity.
From living rooms to stadium seats, support for the Lionesses continues to grow, showing just how far women’s football has come in only a few years.
If you would like to discuss any market research ideas or projects, feel free to get in touch with us.
*‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ responses combined.
**Mean
***‘Yes, but they could do a lot more’, ‘Yes but they could do a bit more’ and ‘No, I don’t think they
do enough at all’ responses combined.
‡Research from Ampere Analysis
§ ‘Very confident’ and ‘Somewhat confident’ responses combined.
† Subsequent stats refer to respondents surveyed
††Combines ‘Yes – passionately, I will follow their matches closely’ and ‘Yes – casually, I’ll keep an eye on results’
†††‘Fans’ those who said ‘Yes – passionately, I will follow their matches closely’ and ‘Yes – casually, I’ll keep an eye on results’
