Lionesses fever sends shirt sales skywards ahead of Women’s Euro final
The Lionesses’ run to the Women’s Euros final has triggered a scramble for shirts and other merchandise, with sales far higher than even during the team’s 2023 World Cup run.
Global retailer Fanatics, which operates England’s official stores, said that sales of Lionesses products were up 41 per cent on the same stage at the last major tournament.
Consumer demand has gathered pace as the Lionesses have progressed in the tournament, with sales increasing 26 per cent this week from last week.
England reached the Euros final with a dramatic 2-1 extra-time win over Italy on Tuesday night, secured by Chloe Kelly’s 119th-minute winning goal.
It followed the holders’ equally tense quarter-final victory over Sweden, in which the Lionesses came from two goals down to prevail in a penalty shoot-out.
Sarina Wiegman’s team have now reached the final of the last three major tournaments, including the 2023 World Cup and the triumphant, Covid-delayed Euros a year earlier.
The sales data is taken from across the Fanatics network of sites, which as well as the official England store includes Fanatics.com, Kitbag.com and Uefa’s retail portal.
It includes transactions up to Tuesday, before the semi-final against Italy, since when demand is only likely to have increased in anticipation of Sunday’s final.
ITV score record audience in England semi
Retailers aren’t the only beneficiaries of Lionesses fever, with ITV recording its highest average audience of the year – 8m viewers – for the semi-final.
The game drew a peak UK audience of 10.2m in the final minutes of extra time, when Euro 2022 hero Kelly missed a penalty but scored the rebound to complete a thrilling comeback.
England’s European title defence looked bound for defeat until teenage super-sub Michelle Agyemang, a breakout star of the Euros, equalised in the 95th minute.
The team’s games are seeing a gradual uplift in audience as the tournament progresses, with ITV recording a peak audience of 2.6m for the opening 2-1 defeat by France and 4.2m for the final group match against Wales, which England won 6-1.
The Lionesses’ rescue job against Sweden in the quarter-finals achieved a peak audience of 7.4m on the BBC.
Their last major final, in 2023, attracted a peak audience of 14.4m – a record for a Women’s World Cup final. England lost 1-0 to Spain in a game broadcast on both BBC One and ITV.