NWSL Championship Weekend Wins Fans, Sets Viewership Records

The NWSL is touting record viewership for its championship weekend.

According to the women’s pro soccer league, the Orlando Pride’s 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday was watched by an average audience of 967,500 viewers on CBS, a new record for not just the league’s title game, but for any NWSL match. The audience was an 18% improvement from NJ/NY Gotham FC’s title-clinching win in 2023 and a 6% lift against the previous record match in 2022, when the Portland Thorns captured their third championship.

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The league also announced that the 2024 final peaked at 1.1 million viewers, though which point of match the apex occurred was not revealed.

Additionally, Sunday’s NWSL Skills Challenge had an average audience of 1.1 million viewers on CBS, peaking with 1.53 million viewers. The event, which aired a day after the final, was greatly aided by having regional NFL broadcasts serving as lead-ins.

Barbra Banda’s first-half goal in the title game capped off a banner season for the league both on and off the pitch. The NWSL drew 2 million fans for its regular season matches for the first time, eclipsing last season’s record of 1,424,208. Average match attendance surpassed 11,000 this season, with 89 matches played in front of 10,000 fans (up from 55 matches with such totals in 2023).

The rise in viewership numbers is a good sign for the NWSL’s media partners as well, as it was the first season of its four-year rights deal. Last November, the NWSL chose to not only renew its broadcast deal with CBS but added ESPN, Scripps Sports (via Ion Television) and Amazon’s Prime Video, drawing $240 million over a four-year period.

Franchise valuations continue to soar as well, spurred by control sales for several teams including Angel City FC, the San Diego Wave and the pending deal for the North Carolina Courage. Expansion fees of $53 million for Bay FC and BOS Nation FC have also added to the rising tide, and the league’s next franchise is set to build further on the momentum.

Increases in media revenue and franchise valuation compelled the players union to push for a new collective bargaining agreement with the league, one that was agreed to in August.

Orlando has a chance to become the center of soccer in the U.S., at least in 2024, should Orlando City SC capture its first MLS Cup. Both franchises are owned by the Wilf family, which also owns the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

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