Beyond the records, what trends are we seeing in NWSL attendances?
After smashing attendance records, how can the NWSL reach a different audience of football fans?
Another NWSL season, another record-breaking attendance.
Last weekend, the NWSL smashed its own league single-match attendance record for the fourth consecutive season.
On a bright and crisp afternoon in Northern California, 40,091 crammed into Oracle Park, home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants, to watch Bay FC take on the Washington Spirit.
As majestic and celebratory as that moment was, I was left wondering what the overall attendance metrics and trends are for the NWSL.
Healthy but stuttering
Look beyond the top-line marquee matches, and you will see a different picture when it comes to NWSL attendances. Whilst it is not doom and gloom, the picture may not be as rosy as some might want to believe.
In fact, even after Bay’s record-breaking match, the NWSL’s attendance average is on course to decrease by 9% in 2025 (per FBRef).
That being said, the good news is that since 2022, the average NWSL attendance has gone up by 27% (from 7,894 to 10,752). Although after a big jump from 7,894 to 11,572 between 2022 and 2023, those numbers are now stuttering.
It is also worth pointing out that attendances do tend to increase towards the end of the season, when the summer holidays end, the heat and storms go away, and the competition heats up and the playoffs arrive. So there’s a good chance the NWSL’s attendance average doesn’t actually decrease come November.
Personally, I’ve always thought breaking 10,000 should be the target for every club in the NWSL. Thus, I think the average total overall is pretty healthy.
When comparing the NWSL to the WSL, only Arsenal averaged over 10,000 in the 2024-25 season. Whereas seven NWSL teams, half the league, are on course to achieve that feat this year.
How full are these stadiums?
Whilst overall attendance is a good barometer, it doesn’t always tell the full story. For example, Bay FC may have welcomed over 40,000 last weekend, but their regular home stadium, PayPal Park, only holds 18,000.
So, another way to analyse NWSL attendance numbers is by the percentage of the stadium’s capacity that is filled. This helps to promote more positive data from teams like the Kansas City Current. The Current’s independently owned CPKC Stadium averages a near 100% capacity, as it mostly always sells out 11,500 tickets.
Right now, the NWSL’s average capacity is around 55%. Only six of the league’s 14 teams are below 50% (Chicago Stars, Houston Dash, Gotham FC, Orlando Pride, Seattle Reign, and Utah Royals).
The Reign are a curious team by this metric because they play in the biggest stadium, Lumen Field, which has a capacity of 68,750. This season, on average, Lumen Field is just 11% full on Reign matchdays.
Finding the right size stadium can be crucial to building atmosphere and keeping fans coming back.
How important are U.S. stars?
In 2025, the NWSL has had little U.S. women’s national team star power to draw on.
In my opinion, one of the biggest factors surrounding decreased attendance has been the recent retirements of high-profile players such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, as well as the absences of Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson due to maternity leave, and Trinity Rodman due to injury.
Lest we forget that when Seattle Reign broke the NWSL attendance record in 2023, it was for a home send-off retirement match for Rapinoe.
The San Diego Wave is a curious case study because the team’s attendance has been steadily declining since Morgan’s retirement. The Wave have also had to manage the departure of Naomi Girma and of allegations of abuse within the non-playing staff.
From 2023 to 2025, San Diego’s average attendance is down 45% (from 23,650 to 13,257), which is by far the biggest decrease in the league.
Again, in isolation, 13,257 isn’t bad for a team in only the fourth season in their history, but it’s hard not to feel like those attendances in the early days were not sustainable without another major U.S. women’s national team star.
Without the U.S. women’s national team competing in a tournament this summer, it is hard for the NWSL to try and charge up a new audience to come to games.
While local fanbases need to thrive and build a consistent audience that will turn up rain or shine, it is clear how much star power and international football play a role in bringing people out to matches.
And so, perhaps the real strategy for the NWSL in 2025 should be building up the profiles of non-Americans to help reach a different audience of football fans. From the stars of the WAFCON, the Euro, and the Copa America Feminina to the most prolific striker on the planet, Temwa Chawinga.