12 million watch England v Spain on BBC One, with 25.7 million streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online across the tournament

England’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Final defeat to Spain was watched by an audience of 12 million on BBC One, alongside an additional 3.9 million streams on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.

Millions of UK viewers have followed England’s progression to the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Despite defeat to Spain yesterday, The Lionesses have yet again made history by reaching England’s first Football World Cup Final since 1966.

Overall, the tournament saw total BBC TV reach of 21.2 million (15 mins or more) and was streamed 25.7 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app, a 75% increase on the 14.7 million streams for the 2019 World Cup.

Director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater says: “We’re proud to be long-term partners for women’s football which continues its fantastic upward trajectory. The Lionesses came so close but they should be incredibly proud of reaching a World Cup final. It was a brilliant tournament for audiences and these figures prove once again that no one can bring the nation together for the big moments quite like the BBC across TV, iPlayer, Sounds and the Sport website.”

BBC coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in numbers:

• BBC television reach (15 mins or more) has been 21.2 million
• Matches have been streamed 25.7 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app – this is a 75% increase on the 14.7 million streams during the Women’s World Cup in 2019
• England v Spain was the most-watched game of the tournament with a peak BBC TV audience of 12 million and peak share of 71%
• There were 22.6 million unique visitors to the BBC Sport website and app throughout the tournament
• Total number of 2023 Women’s World Cup content plays on BBC Sounds was 1.9 million, with 232,000 requests for the final

BBC audiences can enjoy continued free-to-air access to women’s football with live match coverage from each round of the WSL on BBC One or BBC Two, and on BBC iPlayer, with coverage also on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Live. Fans can also watch the Women’s Football Show, live women’s FA Cup football including the semi-finals and final, and other international women’s football fixtures. BCS Bureau