The star power of women’s sports is shining brighter than ever.
Last year, the basketball sensation Caitlin Clark helped lift the Indiana Fever to an astonishing 265 percent increase in attendance over the previous season. The international phenom Ilona Maher and her teammates electrified crowds at the Paris Olympics when they secured the first U.S. medal ever in rugby sevens. Women’s sports leagues like the N.W.S.L. and W.N.B.A. broke records for TV viewership and attendance. And this year, Nike chose to feature exclusively female athletes in its first Super Bowl ad in 27 years.
Whether you are a longtime fan, or just exploring your sporting side, 2025 might be the year to travel to discover a new event, team or player. If you don’t have a local team — or even if you do — the abundance of women’s sports offerings provides plenty of inspiration. Expect compelling stories and plenty of thrills at these events.
May 2 and 3
Pro Hockey Showdowns
The nearly two-year old Professional Women’s Hockey League is setting its own attendance records, with more than 14,000 fans at a January match in Denver between the Minnesota Frost and Montreal Victoire. While the league’s six teams are still grinding away for a place in the championship series, you can catch some of the most thrilling regular-season matches in early May. These tickets guarantee a look at the tactical prowess, speed and intensity that are driving the league’s remarkable growth.
Players in the 2025 W.N.B.A. All-Star Game, in Indianapolis on July 19, have yet to be announced, but the roster is a perennial Who’s Who of W powerhouses, Last year, participants included first-time faces like Clark and Angel Reese, along with stalwarts like A’ja Wilson, Diana Taurasi, and the game’s M.V.P., Arike Ogunbowale. The once-a-season event gives longtime fans and new followers alike a chance to catch their favorite players in one place. The game itself is a leaguewide showcase of the physical skills, basketball I.Q. and distinctive personalities that have supercharged the W’s fan base in recent years.
Ticket prices and on-sale dates have not yet been released, but fans can register through the event website to receive information as it becomes available. All-Star admission in 2024 ranged from around $150 to resales running into the tens of thousands. If game day seats are beyond your budget, the secondary events — including a three-point contest and skills challenge — were considerably less pricey, running closer to $30.
Gymnastics fans have a few years to go until they can see their favorite stars tumble, vault and twist in the next Summer Olympics, but the road to Los Angeles 2028 is dotted with high-stakes competitions, like the 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The event, which features junior and senior women (as well as men), will take place at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans from Aug. 7 to 10, with women’s events on the second and final days.
While other significant competitions will take place this year in Chicago and Providence, R.I., the outcome in New Orleans is critical to determining which athletes will advance to the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October. In 2024, icons like Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles all competed at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, and while this year’s participants have yet to be named, competition is expected to be fierce. It’s also the first time in 30 years that the contest will take place in the Crescent City.
While tickets are not yet available, admission to 2024 sessions started at $14, with passes to all sessions for $239. Keep an eye on the U.S. Gymnastics Championships website for details.
U.S. women’s soccer has been winning fans with dominant performances for decades — a legacy continued with the U.S. Women’s National Team’s fifth Olympic gold medal in 2024. But that hasn’t stopped the 13-year-old N.W.S.L. from bringing fresh events to today’s world of women’s sports. This season it’s adding Rivalry Weekend, Aug. 8 to 10, in which you can get carried away by three fan-favorite matchups in three different cities.
The rivalries, branded as SoCal, East Coast and Cascadia, have different levels of intensity and history. The newest, SoCal, pairs the San Diego Wave and Angel City F.C., of Los Angeles, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The East Coast rivalry pits Gotham F.C. against the Washington Spirit at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., just outside New York City. Probably the most intense and storied rivalry, Cascadia, will have the Portland Thorns hosting the Seattle Reign at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. Each game promises high-stakes clashes between dynamic rosters featuring experienced veterans like Lauren Barnes of Seattle, rising stars like Khyah Harper for Gotham and even talent from abroad, like the French national team’s Delphine Cascarino, who recently signed to San Diego.
Tickets are now available for all matches, with East Coast seats ranging from $12 to $300, SoCal starting around $20 and topping out near $200, and Cascadia between $28 and $295.
Aug. 22 to Sept. 27
Women’s Rugby World Cup
Fans of the 2024 Olympic U.S. women’s rugby team will have to wait a little longer to see if Maher will bring her fancy footwork to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in various cities across England from Aug. 22 to Sept. 27, since rosters have yet to be announced. But regardless of who takes the field, spectators can expect a dynamic, fast-flowing sport with jaw-dropping physicality that combines precision, strategy, agility and the fierce competitive spirit of its players. Beyond the U.S. squad, fans can witness plenty of rugby powerhouses, including England, Australia and Samoa, in the tournament’s pool.
