UN Women Urges Football to Use World Cup Spotlight for Equality

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup attracted nearly two billion viewers globally, while women’s football is expected to have more than 800 million fans by the end of the decade.

As the countdown to the FIFA Men's World Cup 2026 continues, UN Women is calling on football's biggest event to become a powerful platform for advancing gender equality and creating opportunities for women and girls around the world.

The tournament is expected to be the most watched sporting event in history, bringing together billions of viewers across countries, cultures and communities. UN Women believes that level of global attention creates a rare opportunity to influence attitudes, challenge stereotypes and encourage meaningful action that extends far beyond football stadiums.

The organisation says football has an unmatched ability to connect people through shared emotions and experiences, making it one of the strongest tools available to promote social change on a worldwide scale.

Women's sport is growing rapidly but gaps remain

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup attracted nearly two billion viewers globally, while women's football is expected to have more than 800 million fans by the end of the decade. Audience demand is also growing across broader women's sport. In the United Kingdom alone, women's sport generated hundreds of millions of viewing hours in 2025, while American audiences consumed billions of minutes of coverage during the same period.

Despite that momentum, significant inequalities remain. UN Women notes that women's sport still receives only a small share of prime-time coverage compared with men's competitions. Financial disparities remain equally striking. The men's game is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue during the 2026 World Cup cycle, while women athletes continue to receive a fraction of the financial rewards available to their male counterparts.

The organisation points to the continued gap in prize money and athlete earnings as evidence that commercial success in sport has not yet translated into equal opportunities and compensation for women.

Leadership, safety and participation remain major challenges

UN Women says progress cannot be measured only by television audiences and sponsorship deals. Leadership positions throughout the sporting world remain heavily dominated by men, with women holding less than a third of executive roles across international sports federations. Female coaches are also significantly underrepresented in football at every level of the game.

The organisation also highlights concerns about violence against women and girls, citing research that links major sporting events with increases in domestic violence in several countries. Women working within football, including coaches, referees, journalists and administrators, continue to face harassment and abuse, while many organisations supporting survivors of violence are struggling with funding shortages. At the grassroots level, girls continue to leave sport at much higher rates than boys. Economic barriers, social expectations, safety concerns and a lack of visible role models often discourage girls from continuing their participation as they grow older.

UN Women argues that keeping girls involved in sport delivers benefits that extend throughout their lives, including improved education outcomes, stronger leadership skills and better career opportunities. With Brazil set to host the Women's World Cup in 2027, the organisation believes football has an opportunity to build on recent progress and use its global influence to ensure more women and girls can fully participate in the game and the opportunities it creates.