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Women's sports sponsorship grows nearly four times faster than men's
November 16 2026
Major US corporations are increasing their involvement in women's professional sport at almost four times the rate seen in men's sport. But the most significant finding from new research by Gather may be that brands are moving beyond individual partnerships to build broader sponsorship portfolios.Women's professional sport continues to attract growing corporate interest, with new research revealing a significant increase in the number of major US businesses investing in the sector.
According to Gather's third annual Women's Sports Sponsorship Report, the number of Fortune 500 companies sponsoring women's professional sport increased by 17.9% in 2026, compared with just 4.7% growth in men's sport.
The number of women's sports sponsorship agreements grew even faster, rising 38% from 149 to 205. By comparison, men's sports sponsorships increased by 4%, from 631 to 659.
The findings point to a developing commercial market in which women's sport is attracting new sponsors while encouraging existing partners to expand their involvement.
From individual deals to broader partnerships
Perhaps the most interesting finding is the difference between growth in the number of sponsors and growth in the number of agreements.
While the number of Fortune 500 companies sponsoring women's professional sport increased by approximately 18%, the number of sponsorship agreements rose by 38%.
This suggests that brands already active in women's sport are expanding their commitments, adding teams and leagues rather than relying on a single partnership.
For rights holders, this is an encouraging development. It suggests that women's sport is increasingly being viewed as an opportunity for sustained commercial engagement rather than simply an emerging property worth testing.
For sponsors, a broader portfolio can provide opportunities to connect with different audiences, build greater visibility and develop more consistent brand associations.
Significant room for further growth
Despite the increase in corporate involvement, women's sport remains some distance behind men's sport in overall sponsorship participation.
Gather found that 79 Fortune 500 companies, representing approximately 16% of the list, sponsored women's professional basketball, football or ice hockey in North America.
That compares with 178 companies, or 36%, sponsoring the equivalent men's leagues. The difference is substantial, but it also highlights the potential for further growth.
Women's sport is attracting corporate attention at a faster rate, yet the majority of America's largest businesses have still not entered the market.
Gather predicts that the next wave of women's sports sponsors will include companies with no previous involvement in professional sport.
Supporting that view, five of the 12 new women's sports sponsors identified in the research had no professional sports sponsorship agreements in the previous year's dataset.
This is particularly significant for rights holders looking beyond traditional sponsorship categories and established sports advertisers.
Financial services lead the expansion
The research identifies banks and financial services companies as particularly active investors.
Across the leagues studied, banks added 19 sponsorship agreements while ending just five.
Bank of America alone added five agreements across men's and women's basketball, football and ice hockey.
The report also highlights growing interest from regional banks, investment businesses and insurers.
For these organisations, women's sport potentially offers opportunities to build relationships with audiences, communities and customers through partnerships that combine visibility with broader engagement.
The arrival of new financial services sponsors also demonstrates the widening commercial appeal of women's sport.
Women's health and personal care brands increase their presence
Another notable development is the growing involvement of healthcare and personal care businesses.
CVS expanded its women's sports portfolio, adding partnerships with the Dallas Wings, Kansas City Current and Seattle Reign alongside its National Women's Soccer League agreement.
Kenvue added sponsorships involving Neutrogena and Tylenol, while Procter & Gamble developed partnerships involving Tampax, Tide and the WNBA.
These agreements demonstrate how brands are finding opportunities to connect their products and wider positioning with women's professional sport.
They also illustrate the increasing diversity of sponsorship categories entering the market.
Technology brands look to league-wide partnerships
Technology companies are another important part of the picture.
Amazon Web Services signed a league-wide agreement with the WNBA, while Kyndryl partnered with the Professional Women's Hockey League.
Gather reports that women's sport has a share of league-wide sponsorship agreements 2.5 times higher than men's sport.
League-wide partnerships offer sponsors a different proposition from individual team deals, potentially providing broader visibility, consistency and opportunities to develop programmes across multiple markets.
For developing leagues, these relationships can also provide an important foundation for commercial growth.
Growth brings competition — and some experimentation
The report also suggests that women's sport remains a developing sponsorship market.
During the period studied, women's professional sport recorded 51 new agreements and 24 that were not renewed.
The renewal rate for existing women's sports sponsorships was 86%, compared with 92% in men's sport.
While the overall direction is positive, the figures suggest that brands are still assessing partnerships and refining their investment strategies.
For rights holders, demonstrating effectiveness, understanding sponsor objectives and delivering measurable commercial value will remain essential to securing longer-term commitments.
How the leagues compare
The research examines six professional leagues across basketball, football and ice hockey in North America.
Among the women's leagues, the National Women's Soccer League recorded the largest number of Fortune 500 sponsorship agreements, with 91 across 58 sponsoring companies.
The WNBA followed with 77 agreements involving 44 companies, while the Professional Women's Hockey League recorded 37 agreements involving nine companies.
All 15 WNBA teams and all 16 NWSL teams had at least one Fortune 500 sponsor.
In men's sport, Major League Soccer recorded 250 agreements, the NBA 244 and the NHL 165.
Although the established men's leagues continue to attract substantially more corporate sponsorship agreements, the faster growth in women's sport suggests the commercial gap may narrow as the market develops.
What does this mean for sponsorship?
Three themes emerge from Gather's research.
First, women's sport is increasingly attracting sustained corporate engagement rather than isolated sponsorship experiments.
Second, the range of businesses investing in the sector is expanding, with financial services, technology, healthcare and consumer brands playing a growing role.
Third, there remains considerable scope for further commercial development.
The research does not measure sponsorship expenditure or the value of individual agreements. It therefore cannot establish whether financial investment in women's sport is growing at the same rate as the number of partnerships.
Nevertheless, the increase in both sponsors and agreements provides evidence of growing corporate confidence.
For sponsorship agencies and rights holders, the challenge will be to turn that momentum into long-term partnerships built around clear objectives, relevant audiences and demonstrable results.
For brands, the opportunity is to move beyond simply being associated with the growth of women's sport and consider what meaningful, sustained involvement can deliver.
The message from the research is clear: women's sport is attracting more sponsors, but increasingly it is also persuading existing partners to do more. That may prove to be the most important indicator of its commercial progress.
Source: Gather, Third Annual Women's Sports Sponsorship Report, 2026.
The research covers Fortune 500 sponsorship activity in the NBA, WNBA, MLS, NWSL, NHL and PWHL, using information gathered through the third quarter of 2026. Growth comparisons use revised 2025 figures. The study measures sponsorship agreements and corporate participation, rather than financial investment. Sponsorship data for four newly expanded PWHL teams was unavailable.
