The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 has set a new record for television viewers in the UK, as the tournament reaches the knock-out phase.
The TV reach of the tournament so far stands at 17.2m, way ahead of the previous record of 12.4m which was set during the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
The strong performance of the England national team, along with the first appearance in a World Cup for the Scottish national team has doubtlessly bolstered the figures, with the largest viewing audience of 6.1m for the home nations derby.
The viewing figures for other matches have also out-performed expectations, with France v South Korea achieving 2.2m viewers, and 2m tuning in to see USA v Chile.
Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, said; “The interest in the Women’s World Cup so far has been incredible and viewers haven’t been short of daily entertainment as our teams have been working hard to deliver the best tournament to date to the millions that have followed the group stages.
“To set two new records – 17.2m current total reach and 6.1m for England v Scotland – in the opening weeks is extremely pleasing.”
The tournament continues into the knock-out phases with all matches being broadcast live and exclusive by the BBC on television, online and on radio.