United Kingdom's largest television viewership this year witnessed the Lionesses securing their Euro victory.
England's Historic European Championship Victory Breaks Records
The Lionesses have etched their names in the annals of sporting history with their back-to-back European Championship win in 2025. This momentous occasion not only marked England's first major tournament victory on foreign soil but also set new benchmarks in TV viewership and stadium attendance, establishing the tournament as the biggest and most-watched Women’s EURO to date.
Alex Kay-Jelski, the Sport Director at the BBC, described the final as a "landmark moment in sporting history." The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final attracted an astounding 45 million viewers worldwide, breaking the global record for the tournament[1][2]. In the United Kingdom, 16.4 million people watched England defeat Spain in the final, making it the second-most-watched women’s soccer match in England’s history and the most-watched event of 2025 in the UK[1].
The final aired in over 165 territories globally, with total tournament broadcast viewership surpassing 500 million[1]. In the United States, the final on FOX Sports drew over 1.3 million viewers, marking the channel's most-watched Women’s EURO game ever[3].
Attendance records were also shattered at the tournament, with over 657,000 spectators across 29 of 31 sold-out matches. The knockout stage featured historic attendance numbers, including the best attended quarter-finals ever, with over 112,000 total spectators and individual quarter-final matches drawing crowds above 29,000[1][2].
Defender Lucy Bronze, who played the entire tournament with a fractured tibia, was a key player in England's triumph. Alessia Russo equalised Mariona Caldentey's first-half goal during the match, setting the stage for England's victory.
Millions followed BBC coverage of the match from start to finish, including post-match analysis and live updates on the website. The victory was the UK's most watched television moment of the year with more than 16 million viewers. The most-viewed clip from the Women's Euros on BBC Sport social channels was Lucy Bronze strapping her own leg in the quarter-final win over Sweden.
Live text commentary of the game on the BBC Sport website drew 11.4 million views, eclipsing the UK audience for the 2023 Women's World Cup final. Younger audiences followed the match on social media in large numbers. The Lionesses became back-to-back European champions with this win, cementing their place as a formidable force in women's football.
Broadcast viewership on BBC One peaked at 11.6 million during the final, while the BBC reported 4.2 million streams of the match on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. ITV also broadcast the match live, attracting a peak audience of just over 4 million.
In conclusion, the Lionesses' 2025 European Championship victory was a landmark moment in sporting history, setting new benchmarks in TV viewership and stadium attendance, and solidifying the Women's EURO as the biggest and most-watched Women’s EURO to date.
[1] BBC News, "England beat Spain to win Women's Euro 2025," 31 July 2025. [2] UEFA, "UEFA Women's EURO 2025: Records and Statistics," 31 July 2025. [3] Fox Sports, "UEFA Women's EURO 2025: Record viewership for final on FOX Sports," 31 July 2025.
- Despite England's renowned success in the men's sport, their historic European Championship victory in 2025, particularly in football, has cemented them as a formidable force in women's European leagues.
- The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final, which attracted an astonishing 45 million viewers worldwide, set new records for viewership, surpassing previous records even in major traditional sports leagues like the Champions League.
