“La Ola de la FIFA”

According to “La Ola de la FIFA” study that was commissioned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises in a partnership with Horowitz Research, women’s soccer fandom is mainly driven by Hispanics, with more than half (58%) describing themselves as fans of women’s soccer compared to 39% of non-Hispanics. One quarter (24%) of Hispanics consider themselves as die-hard fans compared to just 6% of non-Hispanics.

Fanhood for women’s soccer is strong among Hispanic women, with 54% saying they are fans (compared to 28% of non-Hispanic women). Indeed, soccer is seen as an important part of Hispanic identity. Moreover, this enthusiasm is expected to grow, as about six in ten (62%) Hispanic female soccer fans hope to share their passion for soccer with their children.

With the U.S. Women’s National Team making its debut tomorrow in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France™ the survey data reveals that six in ten Hispanics are interested in tuning into the international event on TV. Over half of soccer fans looking forward to the event are Hispanic women. Four in ten Non-Hispanics are also interested, underscoring how popular Women’s soccer is becoming in the U.S.  Forty percent of Hispanics and 24% of non-Hispanics feel that their interest in women’s soccer has grown over the past five years. Indeed, survey respondents are optimistic about the future of women’s soccer: Half of Hispanics and one-third of non-Hispanics (51% and 35%, respectively) feel that in the next five years, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be equally as popular as the Men’s FIFA World Cup.

Other Highlights of the Survey Include:

•     Half of Hispanics and close to one third of Non-Hispanic (51% and 31%, respectively) feel that men and women soccer games are equally entertaining.  Similarly, 51% of Hispanics and 27% of non-Hispanics would like to see more women’s soccer coverage on television.
•     Half of Hispanics and one-third of non-Hispanics (55% and 34%, respectively) feel that female soccer announcers/commentators will have the same on-screen presence as their male counterparts in the next five years.
•     Soccer is best “en Espanol.” 57% of Hispanics overall, and 52% of Hispanic women, say they “enjoy watching soccer games in Spanish more than watching them in English”. Even 13% of non-Hispanics, and 7% of non-Hispanic women, concur that soccer is more enjoyable in Spanish.

This summer, Telemundo Deportes is presenting exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup France and 2019 Copa America Brazil offering extensive multimedia coverage with more than 750+ hours of LIVE sports programming including 78 matches in 31 days on two continents across the Telemundo Network, its cable channel Universo, and the Telemundo Deportes and NBC Sports apps in Spanish.