Are We Excited to Stream Women’s World Cups on Netflix?

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In this scrimmage, Andrés and Victoria team up with fellows Sarah Spain and Des Linden to discuss Netflix acquiring the rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups.

Andrés Martinez: The subject at hand is Netflix’s acquiring the U.S. rights for the ’27 and ’31 Women’s World Cups. I wrote something on Dec 18 in advance of Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL games, saying how momentous this felt, given that it was a worldwide deal and another step in the massive streaming platform’s embrace of live sport. And then two days later, the announcement of Netflix’s deal with FIFA was made. It feels equally, if not more, momentous, but in different ways (for one thing, this is not a global deal, just for the U.S. rights). I see some folks saying that Netflix is just hunting for any and all sports rights that come available, and if it wasn’t the women’s world cup it could have been an archery tournament (or is it a joust?), but I don’t know, there seems to be something enticing about this pairing – given the cultural currency of both Netflix and of the USWNT. Am I right to be excited? 

Sarah Spain: My first response to Netflix getting the rights to the Women's World Cup was to celebrate that we'll get a welcome reprieve from any and all Alexi Lalas commentary. After the initial joy came some concern about what the paywall might mean for eyeballs and access. While diehard fans will certainly be willing to pay to watch (if they aren't already subscribers), I wonder whether casuals will invest. I'd hate for there to be missed opportunities to grab new fans who would normally get hooked by a great game they catch flipping channels. And I hate the idea of lower income fans, especially young soccer players, missing out because of cost. There are also concerns about what, exactly, success looks like for Netflix when compared to traditional networks. Will they be prioritizing a specific demographic they're trying to reach or creating the best viewing experience and coverage possible? Do they have a larger women's sports strategy? A plan to get rights to other sports and leagues? A friend also suggested this might mean some strong storytelling content (think F1's "Drive to Survive") in the months leading up to the World Cup, which would be very cool. 

Victoria Jackson: Sarah, you ask important questions! The good news, thinking historically about media rights and women’s sports, is that this is not the story we so often have seen with women’s sports – media rights secured and announced hastily at the last minute, with not nearly enough time to do things well, let alone creatively and innovatively. Netflix has two years (!) and this has me bullish on their ability to go big and create something excellent for the Women’s World Cups in Brazil in 2027 and (with hope, the US and Mexico) in 2031. 

You raise valid concerns about demographics, audience, and varied access across network, cable, and streaming; however, when it comes to subscription numbers, among streaming platforms, Netflix is in a category of its own, with US subscriber numbers nearly equal to those who still have cable TV. (66.7 million vs. 68 million, respectively, with the Netflix number going up and the cable number going down.) And whether we like it or not, this deal feels like another milestone in the migration of live sports to streaming services. 

One aspect of the Netflix news that I am unequivocally bullish on is that the U.S. rights for the Women’s World Cup have been unbundled from the Men’s World Cup rights. That’s a big deal, and it’s in line with the broader global sports business transformation we’ve been seeing in which media companies, corporate brands, the public, and sports federations and domestic leagues have come around to understand the value and awesomeness of women’s sports (welcome, everyone!), and also that women’s sports can rise to even greater heights when developed and marketed as their own standalone products.

Andrés: I love how you both zeroed in on the audience here – the reach of Netflix and so on. It’s so true that in our Balkanized, post-broadcast world, important programming like a Women’s World Cup isn’t as universally accessible as we all congregate in our various siloes. At least Netflix is the bigger of the streaming siloes, and Victoria’s comparison to the cable numbers is interesting, because I am old enough to remember when people were initially outraged when big NFL games started airing exclusively on ESPN.

But beyond subscriber numbers and reach, there is a great deal of mystery (at least to me) in how platforms like Netflix create hierarchies around their programming. Sure, some of their content is available to tens of millions of subscribers but depending on its whims and competing programs vying for attention, much of it may never break through. Conversely, it seems like Netflix has the scale and marketing muscle to turn any of its content into a cultural phenomenon if it sets its algorithmic mind to it. 

My hope is that we will see this happen with Women’s World Cup. Netflix has every incentive to “brand” women’s international soccer over the long run as a compelling story to follow, and if it chooses to do so, it can heighten interest in the tournaments with no end of ancillary programming. As you noted, Sarah, they already have a track record of growing interest in certain sports – Formula 1, most famously – with their sports documentaries; presumably they would want to do so in this case where they own the rights to the live sport. Netflix is unlikely to be able to get additional NBA or NFL (beyond the Christmas games) rights before the 2027 World Cup, so for now women’s international soccer should rank near the top of their priorities as they seek to establish themselves as a player in live sport. Fingers crossed.

Victoria: Des, I am very interested to hear your thoughts. You and Kara Goucher, your cohost on the popular podcast Nobody Asked Us, are often discussing ways to innovate track and field broadcasting and marketing to make a better product, grow the sport, and bring in more fans. You also have no problem sharing hot takes and don’t shy away from sharing controversial opinions (which I appreciate!). From your perspective, as both an elite, world-class athlete who competes in international sports events and a member of NBC’s track and field broadcast talent team, what are you looking for in the Netflix Women’s World Cup deal? Are there opportunities for Netflix to innovate since they’re essentially starting from scratch? Any lessons from what you saw in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic coverage that you could share for the Netflix team? 

Des Linden: From a track & field / running perspective, we would be Tom Cruise- jumping-on-Oprah's-couch happy about this type of deal. It seems pretty clear that the subscription model is the way of the future for sports, and Netflix, while reputable as a platform, still needs to prove themselves in the sports department. The investment here, not just of money but the length of term, suggests to me that they're all in on doing this really well. 

I'd normally be a bit concerned about creating a barrier for entry but the price point is reasonable - $6.99/mo with ads - and you can end your plan after the month. It's also a great opportunity for teams, charities, individuals, etc to make a financial contribution to cover plans for underprivileged individuals and they'll get meaningful reach for their dollar. Again, coming from the t&f perspective we have FloTrack at $29.99/mo., it's impossible to get them to cancel, and the events have zero chance of reaching new viewers who perhaps just finished watching something like Squid Game. I think the size of the Netflix platform makes this a win for women's soccer and the recent growth of the sport and fandom should drive a new audience to Netflix as well, making it a mutually beneficial partnership. Come for Squid Game, stay for women's soccer - or - come for women's soccer stay for Squid Game -- either way, it works! 

Agree with everyone that it's going to be fun to watch the strategy unfold. Netflix has done a tremendous job with the sports documentaries they've launched. To have those coupled with the live events for activation prior to the competition, and used to create a longer tail for viewers after the WC, is a massive opportunity to keep people caring about the sport well after the lights of the WC go off. It seems they already have many of the tools needed to create a sports network within in the Netflix platform, we'll see if that's their direction, and if so, can they can use the tools to create something new, better, innovative, or do they just build the same old model? It's also possible that I'm totally reaching here. It just seems clear that there's huge amount of opportunity to think big! Anyhow, I'm hopeful about it all and it's exciting that Netflix is starting with women's sports, and worst case scenario, we do get that reprieve from Alexi Lalas which is, indeed, already a little victory. 

Sarah: I appreciate how hopeful everyone is; I'm hopeful that your hope is warranted! (Working in sports television for two decades, specifically trying to push more and better coverage of women's sports has made me cynical, I suppose.) I do think the upside here could be fantastic and your point about an extended runway is a good one, Victoria. Netflix certainly has the time to do this well and to create a proper build up and some enthusiasm for the event. And, to your point, Des, there are certainly ways that Netflix's model could help introduce women's soccer/futbol to a larger audience post-Squid Game binge. If, to Andres' point, Netflix chooses not to turn their algorithmic spotlight on the Women's World Cup in just the right way or promote specific match-ups in the right spaces, will the games end up not near the top, but inside near the eleventh reruns of Gilmore Girls hovering a few rows down, ready and waiting for me when I need comfort food television? 

There are also viewing habits around sports that might mean slow adoption to a new format. If you're someone who is used to turning on ESPN to see what's on or looking at a guide on your television to find, watch or DVR games, you might struggle to remember to launch your Netflix app and see what's on and when. Or if you're out when a game is live, you might forget to watch when you get home a few hours later if it isn't listed in your DVR recordings. 

And something we haven't touched on is the potential for streaming issues. See: The Netflix "Love Is Blind" Live Reunion Special in 2023. If you're not familiar, it was a disaster. It started over an hour late, was no longer "live" and required restarting and fast-forwarding an hour into the "live" episode to find the content. At the time the failure of that event was a major concern for those considering partnering with Netflix on major live events. Similarly, Netflix's first foray into a live NFL game just a few weeks ago began with 20 seconds of no audio while host Kay Adams tried to welcome viewers to the broadcast. About ten minutes later Mina Kimes' breakdown of the Kansas City Chiefs was interrupted by a mistimed promo for (coincidentally) Squid Game 2. And there's no worse product for buffering issues than sports, especially if folks across the internet are experiencing the game at different times as a result. That "GOOOOOAL" post on Bluesky or Twitter that you see five seconds ahead of viewing the shot is always such a bummer. Hopefully there's enough time for Netflix to work out the kinks and prepare for the millions of viewers expected to tune in.