The BBC has signed a deal with UEFA to broadcast every match of the summer showcase
Public broadcast giant the BBC has announced that it will be airing all 31 matches from this summer's UEFA Women's European Championships. Live coverage of every minute will be available on BBC One and BBC Two television, as well as via live stream on BBC iPlayer.
The tournament, which is being hosted by England, will begin on July 6 with the Lionesses taking on Austria at Old Trafford.
All of the action will be complimented by pre-match, half time and post-match analysis from a star-studded lineup of pundits including Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, Ian Wright and Anita Asante.
The BBC is also producing special supplementary content aside from the tournament including documentaries, podcasts and panel shows.
Barbara Slater, BBC Director of Sport, said:
“This is our most ambitious broadcast commitment to a major women’s football tournament with the greatest share of matches on network television. Not long after I first started in this role, the BBC covered the 2009 Women’s Euros in Finland. The truth is there was limited audience interest, the total reach for the tournament was just 2.5 million.
“The springboard was London 2012, when 70-odd thousand people crammed into Wembley to watch Team GB’s women’s team beat the mighty Brazil. It was a moment in time, when we knew the sport was ready to move to the next level.
“We invested heavily in our coverage and in 2019, 27 million tuned into the Women’s World Cup in France on the BBC – the most watched sporting event of the year. Women’s football has developed beyond all recognition in the last decade and BBC Sport has been there every step of the way.”
The tournament, which is the first major women's competition hosted by England since 2005, will give fans something to watch during a summer devoid of on-pitch action and dominated by football transfer rumours.
The lack of competition from a marquee men's tournament this summer could also offer the Women's Euros more of a platform and a chance to grow in popularity among the general public.
This deal continues the trend of the BBC acquiring the rights to international football, especially that involving the Three Lions or the Lionesses, as the major public broadcaster remains the place to be to support England Football.
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