The women’s FIFA World Cup that ended on August 20 with Spain winning its maiden title, was seen by a record 12 million people on BBC. In Spain 5.6 million people watched the final. In Australia, the co-host of the tournament, 5.54 million saw the final on TV. For the record, Spain defeated England 1-0 in a tense final with Olga Cormona scoring the lone goal for Spain.

This was the ninth edition of the women’s World Cup; the inaugural was in 1991. The finals between Spain and England in Sydney was watched by a crowd of 75,784 in the stadium, the highest ever.

Women’s football is really beginning to peak. This year, a women’s Champion’s League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg attracted a crowd of over 91,000 in Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium. Last year’s Women’s Euros finals between England and Germany saw a record attendance of 87,192, which was won by England.

Though these numbers tell a story, the disparities between the women and the men’s game are still too stark.

Argentina, the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, got a prize money $42 million — four times that of the $10.5 million won by the Spanish women. The wage gap between the men’s and the women’s players is also huge. The broadcasters too are wary of shelling out huge sums for telecasting women’s leagues.

But the potential is huge given the surge in popularity and growing fan base for women’s football. With young players like Spain’s Aitana Bonmati, who won the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player, emerging as major talents, the stage is set for women’s football to take off.

Though most big EPL clubs have women’s teams too, the men’s version is still the dominant force. But with stadium attendance rising by 170 per cent for the Women’s Super League in England, the future looks bright.