Women's World Cup 2023: Viewing figures for final released as 14 million watch live on BBC and ITV

The Lionesses may have suffered a bitter defeat in Sydney against Spain in the Women's World Cup final on Sunday (20 August), but they have at least one reason to celebrate.

The viewing figures for the huge sporting event have been released by broadcasters ITV and the BBC. At its peak, the final drew in more than 14 million viewers in the UK, who saw Sarina Wiegman's squad lose 1-0 to Spain following a goal from Carmona in the 29th minute.

The mammoth figures, the best ever recorded in the UK for women's football, are only bested by one other event this year, the King's Coronation in May which saw 18 million people tune in. The Lionesses even managed to top the viewing figures for the Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, which drew in 11 million viewers on the BBC.

According to the BBC, around 12 million people are said to have watched coverage of the final, which began at 10am ahead of the 11am kick-off, live on BBC1. The final was also viewed a total of 3.9 million times on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport app and website.

The BBC's coverage of the final was hosted by Gabby Logan and featured punditry from former Lionesses Alex Scott and Fara Williams. Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater praised the viewing figures.

She said: "We're proud to be long-term partners for women's football which continues its fantastic upward trajectory. The Lionesses came so close but they should be incredibly proud of reaching a World Cup final.

"It was a brilliant tournament for audiences and these figures prove once again that no one can bring the nation together for the big moments quite like the BBC across TV, iPlayer, Sounds and the Sport website."

According to the BBC, the coverage of the entire tournament was watched by a total of 21.2 million viewers. Meanwhile, streaming marked a 75% increase compared to the 2019 Women's World Cup with users accessing content 25.7 million times on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app.

ITV's coverage of the final, spearheaded by presenter Laura Woods, was dwarfed in comparison, with just 2.46 million people tuning into the advert-supported channel. Punditry came from the likes of former Lioness and I'm A Celebrity winner Jill Scott, Chelsea Women's manager Emma Hayes and former Arsenal men's player Ian Wright.

The news of just how popular women's football has become in the UK comes as Wright slammed the English FA for rejected the Lionesses request for a £100,000 tournament bonus, calling the decision "embarrassing".

Wright said: "Wiegman is staying, she’s got a world-class side, there’s no reason for her to go anywhere. I hope she gets paid what she deserves and I hope the players get the bonuses they deserve. It’s really quite embarrassing."