Women’s Euros Smashes Viewership, Attendance Marks

England’s victory over Germany in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final wasn’t the only win at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

The game was the most-watched women’s soccer match ever in the U.K., attracting a peak audience of 17.4 million on the BBC and 5.9 million streams on digital platforms. The previous record-holder, England’s 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat, was 11.7 million. 

In Germany, 17.9 million viewers tuned in.

But that’s not all. There were 87,192 fans in attendance — the highest ever for any men’s or women’s European national team tournament game.

• With an average of 18,544 fans, it was the best attended tournament in its history. 
• Combined spectatorship reached 574,875, more than doubling the previous record of 240,555 in 2017.

UEFA recently revealed that 54% of the group stages’ viewership was driven by neutral followers.

Money Well Spent

Ahead of Sunday’s game, GlobalData projected that fans would spend $167 million during the match, with $56 million spent in pubs, bars, and restaurants — fans were predicted to consume over 8 million pints of beer or cider ahead of the game. 

Of the overall figure, $112 million was estimated to go toward snacks, drinks, and merchandise for fans watching at home. 

A study published by Ernst & Young in May projected the 16-team tournament would generate $65.6 million in revenue for its nine host cities, nearly quadrupling the revenue generated during the 2017 competition.