FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final match Australia vs England broke all-time television viewing ratings in Australia

The FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the British women, broke the all-time television viewing record, with 7 million people watching according to statistics. Australia’s loss at one point drew 11.5 million viewers in front of the screens among the country’s population of about 25 million people. The average audience was 7.13 million compared to 4.2 million who watched Australia’s quarter-final, which saw the team beat France on penalties.

That’s significantly more than the number of people who watched local tennis favorite Ashleigh Barty win the final of the 2022 Australian Open, as well as the 5.56 million viewers who watched Lleyton Hewitt lose the final of the same tournament in 2005 year. Channel Seven said it was the most-watched program in Australian television history since records began in 2001.

After losing the semi-final, Team Australia will play in a third-place match against Team Sweden on Saturday in Brisbane.