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Michael Long | Economic pressures will cool talk of net zero
Money talks loudest when budgets are squeezed. Amid a challenging economic climate, I suspect we’ll see a noticeable shift in tone and language when industry executives talk about sustainability in 2025.
Across all sports, climate-related initiatives will give way to social and community impact as the chief focus of sustainability strategies. People, rather than planet, will be the priority, particularly among international rights holders whose recent attempts to publicly reconcile the capitalist mindset of business and revenue growth with ambitious environmental goals have grown increasingly flimsy.
Call it climate action fatigue. Call it an unwillingness to truly embrace different ways of operating. Even if factions of fans, athletes and the industry are demanding less talk and more action, the surge of enthusiasm that mobilised sport in the wake of the Paris agreement is already fizzling out, tempered by a dawning reality that cutting emissions is far harder than many might have hoped.
As governments around the world ditch policy commitments and major multinationals roll back on net zero targets, justifying such moves on economic grounds, sports decision-makers will face less pressure – and no real incentive – to make good on their lofty pledges.
Even those who profess to hold themselves to a higher standard, including self-styled climate champions like SailGP and Formula E, are forging closer ties with high-polluting sectors. In the absence of political will, consistent regulation and scaleable alternatives to sport’s fossil fuel dependency, don’t expect legacy players to bang the planet drum too loudly in 2025.
SailGP’s recent sponsorship deal with the Emirates airline flies in the face of its commitment to environmental sustainability (Credit: Getty Images)
Steve McCaskill | Sport will reset its relationship with social media as short-form digital content drives growth
The digital rights handed by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as part of their settlement might seem like a consolation prize when compared to live games, but the fact they were gladly received by WBD reflects the changing role of short-form content in the sports media mix.
Younger fans are just as interested in clips and highlights as they are in the main event. In the context of a challenging media market in which the value of traditional media deals is stagnating or contracting, highlights and clips are now a more attractive source of revenue generation. While some properties will be able to command rights fees, others will monetise through advertising and data capture.
But sport is now wary of over-relying on platforms it can’t control, or those it believes demand too great a share of the rewards generated by its content. Third-party channels are too important to ignore but expect to see sport secure more favourable revenue-sharing arrangements and investment in owned-and-operated first-party applications that bypass them entirely.
Ed Dixon | The expanded Fifa Club World Cup will be a one and done
Questioning the longevity of a tournament that has prompted a lawsuit, alienated players and drawn scorn from leagues is hardly a scolding hot take but hear me out.
Next summer’s expanded Fifa Club World Cup is many things. For some, it is a chance to enhance the competition’s appeal and provide a bigger platform for teams worldwide. For others, it is a shameless crash grab and thinly veiled attempt from soccer’s global governing body to extend its influence beyond national federations.
It feels like something has to give and players could take matters into their own hands. Fifa, though, will be emboldened if the lawsuit is dismissed.
My guess is we’ll end up with a half-baked Club World Cup in 2025 where neither side is happy. The biggest developments, though, will happen after the final on 13th July. With the next edition of the tournament supposedly not arriving for another four years, the intervening period will be used by leagues, clubs and players to push back further on Fifa.
As a result, the Club World Cup is either going to be scaled down or scrapped entirely. And that will mean Gianni Infantino will no longer be Fifa president.
The revamped Club World Cup is a personal passion project for Fifa president Gianni Infantino but it has many critics (Credit: Getty Images)
Cian Brittle | F1 and FIA headed for acrimonious divorce
This may be considered somewhat over-dramatised – but bear with me.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is the regulatory body for global motorsport, so ultimately Formula One would struggle to exist without it, but it’s not outside the realms of possibility. After all, the breakaway Grand Prix World Championship that almost became a reality in 2010 came at a time when teams wielded a fraction of the commercial power they now have.
While starting a new series was likely only ever a bargaining chip 15 years ago, Formula One is an entirely different beast today. Its acquisition by Liberty Media has been revolutionary for the series’ global standing, but could Formula One continue its momentum without the ‘F1’ brand itself?
It may be a risk worth taking if controversial FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem continues on his current path. The Emirati may be up for re-election at the end of 2025, but his dictatorial plans (yes, really) has Formula One and its teams rightly concerned.
All parties should look to the infamous IndyCar split as a warning of what can go wrong, but Formula One could use this bureaucratic chaos as an opportunity to establish greater independence – a divorce of sorts.
Arif Islam | Women’s sports franchises will edge closer to the billion-dollar mark
2024 was an incredibly significant year for many women’s sports properties.
Caitlin Clark’s rookie season in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) saw Indiana Fever’s guard become a household name in the US, while the UK’s Women’s Super League (WSL) began its 2024/25 season under new ownership, enabling the top two tiers of English women’s soccer to be governed independent of the men’s game.
Such developments have led to investment in women’s sport no longer being viewed as tokenism but rather sound business. Soccer has particularly benefited from this change. American businesswoman Michele Kang acquired London City Lionesses, an independent English second-tier women’s soccer club and launched Kynisca Sports International, the first multi-team global organisation dedicated to women’s soccer.
Elsewhere, Disney chief executive Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay became controlling owners of National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Angel City FC. The takeover valued the team at US$250 million, making the LA-based franchise the most valuable women’s outfit in the world.
With all the key metrics on the rise, it won’t be long before a team eclipses Angel City’s valuation and sets the bar closer to the billion-dollar mark.
NWSL side Angel City FC are the world’s most valuable women’s soccer team after Disney boss Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay became controlling owners (Credit: Getty Images)
Elena Kouyoufa | Women’s soccer in the UK will own its moment
I think women’s soccer in the UK will find a dedicated kick-off time under the newly formed Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) in 2025.
Such a move will align closely with what the new operating company has conveyed as its key priorities, acknowledging the growing demand for visibility of the game and aiming to avoid direct clashes with major men’s fixtures and other significant events. By securing a distinct slot, the WPLL can attract broader audiences, elevate matchday experiences, and strengthen commercial partnerships.
A dedicated time slot will foster habitual viewership, vital for sustained growth. Fans will know exactly when to tune in, broadcasters can optimise their schedules, and sponsors will have a clearer platform to amplify their messages.
Josh Sim | China will become a priority sports market (again)
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, several sports properties opted to move events away from China. The strict restrictions imposed by the Chinese government meant that the country became a less attractive setting for international leagues to stage games, with other regions such as the Middle East filling the void.
Recently, however, it appears the tide is turning. The NBA has confirmed it will play two preseason games in China next October, which marks its return after six years, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return with a fight night after ten years. Riot Games will also bring its popular League of Legends World Championship to China and Formula One has agreed a five-year extension to keep its Shanghai race on the calendar.
Evidently, China’s massive population remains an attractive target for leagues looking to grow their fanbases, while Chinese companies remain active spenders in terms of sponsorship deals. With the country looking to boost spending this year, it may be the ideal time for leagues to reprioritise the market once again.
The NBA has confirmed it will play two preseason games in Macau next October, marking its return to China after six years (Credit: Getty Images)
Sam Carp | Rise of athlete creators will redefine the relationship between leagues and their most marketable stars
Making a prediction around the fame of athletes might seem obvious, but 2025 will see rights holders find more creative ways of leveraging the profile of their biggest stars to reach wider audiences.
That will be particularly pertinent in women’s sport and upstart competitions, where the audience growth of certain athletes – Caitlin Clark and Ilona Maher are standout examples – is far outpacing the competitions in which they play. To that end, expect to see more sports follow the lead of the WSL by carving out media rights specifically for their players to distribute content on their own channels, continuing the trend of athletes becoming de facto media publishers.
However, as that dynamic evolves alongside the ongoing trend of athletes creating their own content to publish on platforms like YouTube, it will lead to tension between leagues and their players. If athletes are being asked to post more content on their channels, how are they being rewarded? And if they are producing their own stuff that is generating significantly more views compared to things like live games, how will that affect a league’s relationship with its rights-holding broadcasters?
All that will become clearer in the next 12 months.
P.S. One sports organisation that will be busy next year is the IOC, which saw several brands exit the TOP programme in 2024. With two Games in the US on the horizon, I’m guessing that one of those slots will be filled by Microsoft, while it wouldn’t be a surprise if BYD is sniffing around the vehicle category vacated by Toyota this year.
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