Fox has sold 90% of ad inventory for upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup

The GIST: The FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) may be a month away, but it’s already scoring business golazos. Fox announced Monday that it has sold 90% of ad inventory for the Australia and New Zealand–hosted event and is on pace to beat the 2019 WWC’s sales.

The details: Brands in the automotive, insurance, wireless, and tech industries scored the most WWC inventory, including slots during Fox’s broadcasts. Verizon will sponsor the pregame show, Volkswagen will occupy the halftime spot, while Google will back the “bridge show” between games.

• Sponsors are extra hyped for the USWNT’s group stage encounter with the Netherlands on July 26th, a primetime rematch of the 2019 final that only has one piece of inventory remaining. Going once, going twice…

The context: The 2019 WWC in France earned $96M in U.S. ad revenue, $85.1M of which came from Fox’s English-language broadcasts. Fox and Spanish-language rights holder Telemundo have more airtime to sell this year — the WWC expanded from 24 to 32 teams, adding 12 more matches to the schedule.

Zooming out: Fox has had seemingly no problem selling inventory despite the much-discussed time difference between the U.S. and the host countries. It speaks to the USWNT’s popularity at home, which is surging across the board as the WWC nears, and the clear benefit of being the team’s primary media partner. Talk about a halo effect.