- With all eyes on the Men’s World Cup, e.l.f. is demonstrating its commitment to women’s soccer with several activations around the National Women’s Soccer League’s Challenge Cup.
- For the game, which pitted the NWSL’s reigning champions, Gotham F.C,., against the 2025 NWSL Shield winners, Kansas City Current, e.l.f. served as the presenting sponsor of the halftime show and hosted a “Match Day Carpet” runway.
- The activations are part of the cosmetics brand’s “Glow for Glory” program, created in partnership with the NWSL, which seeks to encourage and maintain girls’ participation in sports.
More than half of females in the U.S. over the age of 13 consider themselves soccer fans, and nearly two-thirds of all U.S. soccer fans watch women’s soccer matches (including a quarter who watch women’s soccer exclusively). Additionally, 78% of women’s soccer fans trust women athletes, and 65% say they are proud to support brands based on their investment in women’s sports.
“Soccer is a cultural force, and e.l.f. has always been at the intersection of what our community lives and breathes,” said Patrick O’Keefe, e.l.f. Brands’ chief integrated marketing officer, in a statement. “We are building fandom, telling the stories of extraordinary women who are shaping the future of this game, and creating experiences that prove beauty and sport have always belonged together.”
As if to prove that, the Challenge Cup match included three athletes who are part of e.l.f.’s “Empowering.Legendary.Females.” initiative: Lo’eau LaBonta from Kansas City Current and Jaedyn Shaw and Jess Carter from Gotham F.C.
Off the pitch, the e.l.f. Match Day Carpet presented an opportunity to integrate the brand’s beauty products into the game experience. In the FanZone, NWSL fans could write personalized notes to their favorite players that e.l.f. would distribute. The brand also leveraged its partnership with the International Dance League to lead a fan dance-along.
In addition to presenting the game’s halftime show, it also played a role in welcoming Latin Grammy winner Joaquina to perform the National Anthem before the game and hosted a meet-and-greet with fans later. (According to the company, 18% of its customers are Hispanic, about 30% higher than the cosmetics category average.)
The activations are part of the brand’s “Glow For Glory” partnership with the NWSL, which gives rising young female soccer stars an opportunity to show off their soccer skills and be selected as a “Pro for the Day” and a chance to train and live like one of the league’s players.
Finally, as the Men’s World Cup heads to the finals in mid-July, e.l.f. will have a presence at FootballCo’s “House of Goal” fan fest in New York City.
