14.4m watch England Women’s World Cup final defeat

14.4 million tuned into the Women’s World Cup Final across the BBC and ITV on Sunday, 20 August. 

The almost four hours of coverage averaged 8.6 million and a 74% audience share, which was far lower than the record audience of 17.5m (78%) for the Lionesses Euros final victory last year. The World Cup final kicked off at 11am after a tournament of early morning starts in Australia and New Zealand, while the Euros was held in the UK.

Spain won 1-0 thanks to a first half goal from Olga Carmona, defeating England despite a second half penalty save from Mary Earps.

Meanwhile, the tournament as a whole has had a large impact on the country. Research from Ipsos, which asked 1000 British adults aged 18-75 -  445 men and 555 women over 23-26 June and 17-18 August, found that 55% of the UK has followed the tournament closely, and 79% of football fans. In addition, 49% said that the tournament had made them more interested in women’s football, and 66% of football fans. However, only 36% are now more likely to watch a WSL match on television, and 23% to attend in person.

Also across the whole World Cup, there were 25.7 million stream requests on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Kelly Beaver, CEO of Ipsos in the UK, said: “This year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament has cemented the Lionesses as a force to be reckoned with, bringing England to their first World Cup final since 1966. In line with what we saw following last summer’s Euro victory, half of the public and a clear majority of football fans have said the tournament has made them more interested in watching UK women’s football in the future.

“Our data has shown, however, that there’s quite a big gap between the popularity of the Lionesses and England’s Women’s Super League, presenting an opportunity for the FA to harness this summer’s momentum to solidify England’s standing as a global leader for women’s football.”