Women's World Cup 2023: England v Australia watched by 7m on BBC TV

Women's World Cup 2023: England v Australia watched by 7m on BBC TV
_130824102_gettyimages-1602694363.jpgElla Toone gave England the lead in the first half of the semi-final

England's Fifa Women's World Cup semi-final win over Australia was watched by more than seven million on BBC TV.

Wednesday's historic match was the most watched of the tournament so far, with a peak audience of 7.3m and an additional 3.8m streams across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Online.

There were also 2.7m requests on digital platforms for highlights and clips from the game.

Sunday's final against Spain in Sydney at 11:00 BST will be shown on BBC One.

Coverage will begin at 10:00 with live commentary also available on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo were on target in Sydney on Wednesday as the Lionesses claimed a 3-1 victory to become the first England team to reach a senior World Cup final since the men's side won the 1966 tournament on home soil.

Afterwards, coach Sarina Wiegman, who becomes the first coach to take two countries to the final of the tournament having led the Netherlands to the 2019 showpiece, said reaching the decider was a "fairytale".

The match also broke Australian broadcast records as it became the most watched television programme of any genre in the country since the existing rating system was established in 2001.

According to viewing figures, it had an average audience of 7.13m and reached 11.15m Australians across the country.

It beat the 2003 men's Rugby World Cup final, which had attracted an average audience of about 4m. Under the previous rating system, more than 8m watched Cathy Freeman win 400m gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

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