The UK's public-service broadcaster, the BBC, has reported a record-breaking audience for the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro national teams soccer tournament. The quarter-final match between England and Sweden drew an impressive peak audience of over 7 million on BBC One.
England’s thrilling quarter-final victory against Sweden was achieved after a dramatic penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw. This captivating match attracted a peak audience of 7.4 million on the main BBC One channel, marking it as one of the most-watched events in recent times. The Lionesses’ remarkable comeback win from being down by two goals also delivered an impressive peak audience share of 65%.
In addition to traditional television viewership, the match generated nearly three million online streams across various platforms including BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and its app. The live text page on the BBC Sport website alone attracted an astounding 8.3 million views. According to claims made by the broadcaster, total online requests for Women’s Euro content have reached over eight million across its digital platforms so far.
Looking ahead
Following their triumphant victory against Sweden, England's Lionesses are set to face Italy in what promises to be another exciting semi-final clash after Italy defeated Norway with a scoreline of 2-1 on July 16th. For comparison purposes, England’s final group stage match win against Wales broadcasted by commercial broadcaster ITV drew an average viewership of around four million peaking at about five million across all platforms.
ITV and the BBC are sharing broadcasting rights for this women's soccer tournament with both channels splitting coverage during group stage matches. BBC secured rights to three out of four quarter-final matches including Spain’s match against Switzerland on July 19th, adding to its coverage of England and Italy’s respective wins.
ITV is set to air the last quarterfinal match between France and Germany, as well as England’s semi-final against Italy. The BBC will broadcast the other semi-final match. In a show of unity for women's football, both ITV and BBC will simultaneously broadcast the final on July 27th.
The record-breaking viewership numbers for the Women's Euros tournament reflect not only an increased interest in women's football but also highlight how sports broadcasting is evolving with digital platforms playing a significant role. As we look forward to more thrilling matches in this tournament, it is clear that audiences are eagerly tuning in across all available platforms.
