Megan Rapinoe: The US star says next month’s World Cup will “wipe out” global business opportunities for women’s sports

Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Megan Rapinoe speaks during a press conference at the USA Women’s National Team Media Day ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

CNN
—

United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) star Megan Rapinoe believes the upcoming 2023 Women’s World Cup will serve as a launchpad for global business opportunities for the sport and beyond.

“It feels like a real opportunity to blow the dust, just in terms of fanfare, media, sponsorships and the bigger business surrounding this sport,” Rapinoe said at a media event in Carson, Calif., ahead of the sport’s March 20 launch July World Championship in Australia and New Zealand.

Rapinoe expects the tournament to become a landmark event for women’s sport around the world.

“It’s not just, ‘Oh, we should be cheering for the Women’s World Cup because that’s the right thing.’ It’s actually a terrible business move, if you don’t commit, if you don’t invest, if you don’t put resources into it and if you don’t get involved, you’re missing out on something big, so to speak. “It’s a cultural moment in many ways,” he said 37 year old.

“I think we know that the bottom line is that equality is actually good, and that ‘in a shocking turn of events’ equality is actually good for business.”

FIFA, the world governing body of football and the organizers of the tournament have already announced that the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be the most-attended stand-alone women’s sporting event in history.

Earlier this month, it said it had sold 1,032,884 tickets at that point, surpassing previous editions of the competition.

“(It’s a) paradigm shift worldwide. “I think we have a lot to do in the US, but I think the world has just seen what’s happened since the last World Cup, whether it’s sold out stadiums, the women’s final four or a cricket league in India,” says Rapinoe continued.

“There are so many examples like this. It feels like this is a paradigm shift or a moment where we look back and say, ‘Nothing was the same after this Women’s World Cup’ and what we can do. All bets on the Women’s World Cup – I just think it’s going to be an incredible event.”

Mikoaj Barbanell/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Rapinoe celebrates winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Rapinoe needs only one more cap to earn an impressive 200 caps for the USWNT. She is at the forefront of fighting for equality in sport and beyond.

Two-time defending champions USWNT won the World Championships in 2015 and 2019 and a win later this year could become the first team – male or female – to win three consecutive World Cups.

The Women’s World Cup takes place from July 20th to August 20th.