Women’s Rugby World Cup opener peaks at 2.4m viewers
England’s opening Women’s Rugby World Cup match against the USA peaked at nearly 2.5m as records tumbled during the competition’s opening weekend.
The 69-7 victory over the States was watched by an average 1.5m viewers on BBC 1 while the 42,723 in attendance at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light surpassed the crowd for the previous final, four years ago in New Zealand.
The impressive figures come as the Women’s Rugby World Cup surpassed 400,000 tickets sold ahead of the second round of matches this weekend – the 82,000-capacity Allianz Stadium, which is hosting the final, has already sold out.
England are overwhelming favourites to lift a first Women’s Rugby World Cup since 2014, and play Samoa at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton this weekend before a final pool match at Brighton and Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium.
They’ll then play quarter-finals and semi-finals at Bristol’s Ashton Gate before a potential final at the home of rugby in Twickenham.
Women’s Rugby World Cup standards
This Women’s Rugby World Cup is expected to continue to break records across the next month, with subsequent editions set a high bar for success based on what happens across England.
It is hoped that this edition of the competition – which has seen sponsorship deals with the likes of Mastercard, Capgemini, Gallagher, Asahi and Defender – will set standards for women’s rugby, and follow in the footsteps of the European football championships which catapulted the Lionesses into stardom.
Tickets for England’s remaining two pool fixtures – against Samoa and Australia – are sold out, while tickets for their potential knockout matches are selling fast too.
But the favourites tag could bite England like it did in 2021, when they lost the final having been overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy – which has been upgraded for this year’s competition.
World Rugby representatives will today close the London Stock Exchange.