BBC and ITV to share broadcasting rights in UK for Women’s World Cup 2023

The BBC and ITV will share broadcasting rights in the UK for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

All 64 matches of the tournament will be broadcast in the UK on either the BBC or ITV, except for the Final, which will be shown across both BBC One and ITV1.

Alongside TV coverage, live audio commentary will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra.

Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, said: “We have shown every Women’s World Cup on the BBC since 1999 and we are happy to extend our partnership with FIFA for the upcoming tournament. The growth of the women’s game is extraordinary, demonstrated by the 28 million who watched BBC coverage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the huge audience of 17.4 million who watched our coverage of the Euro 2022 final on TV last summer. In partnership with ITV we are delighted to make this World Cup available to the widest possible audience and free to air.”

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, added: “We’re delighted to be able to bring comprehensive coverage of the Women’s World Cup, free to air to our audiences with both live and highlights broadcasts across ITV and ITVX. This tournament promises to provide memorable moments with the popularity of women’s football continuing to grow.”

Both UK broadcasters had been in talks over a deal that would that would see rights to this year’s tournament split across the two free-to-air channels.

All Women’s World Cup games have to be on free-to-air television in the UK as part of the Ofcom Code.

Talks had stalled last year after FIFA rejected offers from broadcasters in the UK and other countries.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is taking place in Australia and New Zealand and most games will be kicking off in the early hours in the UK, albeit England’s group games are scheduled for late morning.

This summer’s tournament kicks off in on July 20 and ends on August 20.

For the first time in the history of the Women’s World Cup, the tournament is being hosted in more than one country.

Women’s World Cup key dates

• First match: New Zealand vs Norway — July 20
• Group stage: July 20 – August 3
• U.S. first match: U.S. vs Vietnam — July 22
• England first match: England vs Haiti — July 22
• Round of 16: August 5 – August 8
• Quarter-finals: August 11 & 12
• Semi-finals: August 15 & 16
• Third-place play-off: August 19
• Final: August 20

The Athletic