TV Ratings: Women’s World Cup Final Soars

The U.S. national women’s soccer team achieved a spectacular World Cup repeat yesterday, beating the Netherlands in a tense final in Lyon, France. If the early figures are anything to go by, the game also provided a strong finish for Fox in the ratings.

According to Variety, Sunday’s final posted a 10.0 overnight metered market rating. For comparison, the semifinal scored a 5.5 in the same demographic and went on to a total of just over 7 million viewers, while the quarter final against the host nation France posted a a 4.9 and ended up with 6.12 million total viewers. That metered market figure is up 20% on last year’s men’s World Cup final, which scored an 8.3 and was watched by a total of 12.5 million viewers.

The viewership benchmark for Sunday’s affair to beat is the 2015 final against Japan, which turned out to be the most watched soccer match in U.S. history with 25.4 million total viewers. However, it’s worth noting that the 2015 games aired in primetime due to the tournament being held in Canada.