England’s Euros final win is most-watched women’s game ever in UK

England’s Euros final win over Germany on Sunday drew 17.4 million viewers on BBC, making it the most-watched women’s soccer match ever in the United Kingdom.

The Lionesses’ triumph also stands as the most-watched television program in the UK so far in 2022.

An additional 5.9 million streams on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app bolstered the viewership of the 2-1 extra time win to 23.3 million total.

“We are incredibly proud to have championed women’s football and are thrilled we were able to bring such a special sporting moment to the public,” BBC director-general Tim Davie said.

“This was the most-watched women’s football game on UK television of all-time and the most-watched program in 2022 so far – and deservedly so. Everyone at the BBC is delighted at the win and being able to share that with the public.”

In Germany, broadcaster ARD reported an average audience of 17.9 million viewers — roughly 65 percent of the total television audience in the country — as well as a peak viewership of nearly 22 million for the match. Both were records for women’s soccer.

In the United States, where the match aired on ESPN, the final drew an average of 971,000 viewers.

The game had already made history as the most-attended Euros game ever, with a record crowd of 87,192 turning out at Wembley. Previously, the record sat at 79,115, set in the 1964 men’s tournament in a match between Spain and the Soviet Union.

The previous peak viewership of a women’s match in the UK came in 2019, when 11.7 million tuned in to watch England’s World Cup semifinal matchup against the U.S. women’s national team.

In this tournament, the highest viewership ahead of the final came in England’s semifinal win over Sweden. That game managed 9.3 million viewers on BBC One, with an additional two million viewers via streaming.