Spain's recent victory over Germany in the UEFA Women’s European Championships 2025 (WEURO25) semi-final has drawn significant attention, with high television viewership recorded in both countries. The match not only highlighted the growing popularity of women's football but also demonstrated how major sporting events can captivate national audiences.
The second semi-final of WEURO25 was a nail-biting encounter between Germany and Spain, which ended with a 1-0 victory for Spain after extra time on July 23. This thrilling match attracted an impressive audience share across both nations, reflecting the increasing enthusiasm around the competition.
In Spain, public-service broadcaster RTVE’s La1 channel reported that 3.3 million viewers tuned in to watch their national team's continued success. This represented an audience share of 32.3% across the country. Interestingly, during extra time when stakes were high and margins fine, the Spanish TV audience rose to a whopping 4.3 million - marking a viewership share of 44.8%. This surge reflects Spaniards' sustained interest in their national team following its FIFA World Cup triumph in front of bumper viewership back in 2023.
Record-breaking audience numbers in Germany
Despite their team’s defeat, German fans showed immense support as well with an average audience of 14.2 million watching the fixtures on public-service network ZDF - equating to a nationwide viewership share of an astounding 57.6%.
This made it the second most-watched women’s soccer fixture on German TV ever; falling just short behind Germany’s defeat by England watched by nearly 18 million people during final round at same tournament back in year before last.
Even matches not involving German national team have been attracting high viewership in Germany. For instance, England’s win in the other semi-final fixture drew an average of 7.09 million viewers.
High expectations for WEURO25 final
With Spain set to face England in the final, a repeat of their Women’s World Cup 2023 final matchup is on the cards. Given that this rematch will take place during prime time in Europe, broadcasters are expecting even higher TV performance than that World Cup final.
The quarter-finals of WEURO25 also performed well not only in Germany and Spain but also in other markets such as France. Spain's continued success since their victory at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has kept interest high among fans and bodes well for RTVE. It also augurs well for Spain as a whole, which is preparing a joint bid alongside Portugal and Morocco to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup.
These impressive viewing figures underline not just the popularity of women's football but its potential to draw large audiences across nations - making it an attractive proposition for broadcasters and advertisers alike.
