Netflix has locked in exclusive Canadian broadcast rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cups - its first move into live football and a clear signal that the streamer is stepping deeper into the sports broadcast game. Historically, the tournament has been shown on free-to-air TV to maximise reach, but Netflix is betting that subscription streaming can still deliver - and monetise - a mass sporting moment.
This isn’t an isolated experiment: Netflix has already tested its live-sport muscle with NFL Christmas Day games, high-profile boxing events like Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, and a weekly WWE Raw slot. Now, it’s eyeing women’s football - a sport whose cultural and commercial rise makes it one of the most bankable bets in sport.
📊 Supporting Stats
The 2023 Women’s World Cup drew over 2 billion views across TV, streaming, and social, with nearly 2 million stadium attendees (FIFA).
Netflix’s Taylor–Serrano fight card pulled 74 million live viewers worldwide (Netflix).
Women’s football is one of the fastest-growing sports properties, with FIFA projecting $3.5B in commercial revenue for the next cycle (WARC).
🧠 Decision: Did It Work?
Strategically, yes - with caveats.
Netflix is buying into a sport with momentum and a fanbase increasingly willing to follow the game across platforms. For brand marketers, this is a clear play for cultural relevance: live women’s football has community heat, global appeal, and a growing sponsorship ecosystem.
However, exclusivity behind a paywall risks shrinking the top-of-funnel audience. Free-to-air has been critical in building women’s football visibility, and Netflix will need aggressive content marketing, shoulder programming, and cross-platform amplification to offset potential reach loss. If the goal is not just subs, but shaping cultural moments, execution will be everything.
📌 Key Takeouts
What happened: Netflix secured exclusive Canadian rights to the 2027 (Brazil) and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Why it matters: First live football play for Netflix, signalling bigger sports ambitions.
What worked: Aligning with the fastest-growing women’s sport globally, building on previous live sports success.
Signal for brands: Sports rights are no longer locked to traditional broadcasters; cultural sponsorship opportunities are shifting to streamers.
🔮 What We Can Expect Next
If Netflix pulls off strong production, behind-the-scenes storytelling, and interactive fan engagement, this could reset how fans expect to watch major tournaments. Expect more streamers to bid for premium women’s sports rights - and potentially bundle them with docuseries, merch collabs, and influencer-driven fan content.
The risk? Over-fragmentation of sports rights could lead to audience fatigue if fans are forced to chase multiple subscriptions. But for now, the Women’s World Cup just became Netflix’s biggest live-stage moment yet.