- Massive brand value places the Boks among top 100 brands in SA
- MTN8 ranks #1 among all leagues and events
- Women make up over half of cricket and rugby fan bases
The world champion Springboks have emerged as South Africa’s strongest sport brand, followed by some distance by football giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
With a brand strength index of 91,9, according to research firm Brand Finance Africa, the Boks finished well ahead of Pirates (83,2) and Chiefs (82,6) despite football being the most followed sport – by far – among South Africans.
Consistent good form, back-to-back World Cup wins and fan engagement have all contributed to the Boks’ standing, which was benchmarked against 32 leagues and 65 teams.
Moreover, the Springboks’ debuted among the top 100 of SA’s most valuable brands, their R2,2-bn brand value placing them 50th overall; a remarkable standing among corporate giants.
MTN, with a brand value of R50,7-bn, ranked first.
“The rugby number is potentially conservative based on existing financials,” said Oliver Schmitz, MD of Brand Finance Africa, adding that the Boks are still only generating 60% of the income of the All Blacks. It may partly explain why SA Rugby are looking to exploit the Springboks’ unrealised commercial value.
The same research, announced in Johannesburg on Thursday, indicates that a staggering 94% of South African sport fans believe that victories by national teams have a net positive impact on the country.
“South Africans are some of the most engaged sport fans in the world,” said Jenny Moore, a strategy and insight consultant who conducted the research on behalf of Brand Finance Africa. Not only are local fans diverse, they follow an average of 11 different sports.
| Global audience: % of the global public who follow each sport | SA online market: % of the SA public who follow each sport | SA sports fans: % of SA sports fans who follow each sport | |
| Football | 43% | 61% | 93% |
| Rugby | 7% | 51% | 85% |
| Cricket | 24% | 32% | 71% |
Source: Brand Finance global, South Africa, and SA sports research 2024/2025
Meanwhile, the MTN8 football competition ranked first (89,2) among all leagues and events, followed by the Nedbank Cup (87,7) and the Betway Premiership (86,6).
Research around betting in sport was also favourable among fans with 67% disagreeing with the statement that betting and gambling should not be allowed as sport sponsors.
A significant 80% of SA fans believe betting makes the game more exciting, findings that suggest that betting brands have a well-established place in SA sport, providing further avenues for partnership.
Additional research indicates that sponsors and sport property owners are missing the opportunity to tap into the power of female sport fans.
“Why are we ignoring them?” asked Moore pointedly.
Sport marketing still leans male, often overlooking women as a primary audience. However, Brand Finance SA’s research reveals the untapped potential in engaging female fans, particularly in cricket and rugby, where women make up over half (53%) of the fan base.
The research highlights key differences in how men and women engage with sport. Women are more likely to follow teams or players on social media, while men tend to follow leagues and competitions. This suggests sponsors, especially those involved at the team and competition levels, need a more nuanced approach to social media content.
At a sporting code level, the behaviours are even more nuanced.
In football, most engagement comes from men, with women participating less compared to other sports. This suggests football isn’t fully catering to female fans, despite 53% of followers being women. However, only 40% of women are “die-hard” fans, revealing an untapped audience. In cricket, 50% of fans are female with 53% attributed to rugby.
These are astonishing insights and suggest there is much work to do on the engagement and marketing fronts.
In cricket and rugby, both genders engage equally, often watching together. However, women are more likely to purchase products from cricket sponsors, while men tend to favour rugby sponsors.
A notable example is women’s higher propensity to bet on cricket – something Hollywood Bets likely considered when sponsoring women’s domestic cricket.
According to Brand Finance Africa, men view gender inclusivity as creating separate “women’s leagues,” while women see true inclusivity in mixed-gender competition.
Despite investments in women’s rugby, cricket, and football, female fans consider events like the Absa Run Your City, Two Oceans Marathon, and Basketball South Africa as more inclusive, while men favour leagues like the Hollywood Bets Super League Women or Rugby World Cup.
Equally revealing was the research that indicates that 40% of men and 44% of women say they are participating themselves more in sport than they did five years ago.
Research methodology
Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, conducted an online survey among South African sports fans during January 2025.
The survey sample was representative of the online audience, with 1049 participants.
“Sport fans” were defined as anyone who follows at least one of the big three sporting codes, namely cricket, football or rugby.
