The Matildas are Australia’s most valuable national sporting team and the worth of their brand has increased fivefold since the start of the 2023 World Cup, new analysis shows.

That brand will only increase in value over the coming days if they continue on their winning stomach-knotting run, although they do face a challenge in retaining momentum after some of the euphoria subsides, given their irregular playing schedule.

Brand Finance has calculated that the potential value of the Matildas brand could rise to as much as $210m after the tournament, from about $40m beforehand, according to data provided to Guardian Australia.

The managing director of Brand Finance Australia, Mark Crowe, said the Matildas brand now surpasses all other national sports teams and rivalled major company brands.

“They are now a very strong brand in the world of football and when you’re looking at their strength in Australia, they’re up there with some of the country’s strongest commercial brands,” Crowe said.

“The challenge is to maintain that strength beyond the World Cup, a signature event that brings incredible focus and attention for a month.”

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Putting a dollar figure on a national team’s brand is difficult, according to valuation experts, because unlike a commercial entity, you can’t draw on the total value of a company to help with calculations.

But there are other measures that show how valuable the brand is, supercharged by the heart-stopping penalty shootout victory against France.

There is the enormous volume of ticket sales, huge television audience and unprecedented merchandise sales, along with the anticipated investment from government agencies into sports programs, particularly targeting youth and women, for which the Matildas have cleared a path.

“Women’s sport globally has enormous growth potential, especially when you look at the current underfunding,” Crowe said.

The Matildas name has also resonated with fans. Drawing on the folk song, the name is catchy and familiar, and evidently a far better choice than its pre-1994 nickname, the Female Socceroos.

According to Football Australia, the Matildas was one of five names considered at the time, alongside the Soccertoos, Blue Flyers, Waratahs and Lorikeets.

The head of brand strategy at Kantar Australia, Ryan France, said the Matildas have all of the qualities strong brands possess.

“Basically, there is a lot of love for the Matildas,” France said. “That’s connected to national pride and the fact they are performing at a home World Cup makes it salient.”

He said that while there’s a danger some of the exuberance will dissipate after the tournament, the style in which they have won matches, especially the quarter-finals, means they are embedding their brand deep into the national psyche.

“It’s something that’s enduring. The Matildas are making memories that will stay there.”