More than a million viewers tuned into televised coverage of New Zealand’s opening game at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, tournament organisers say.
FIFA say 39.2% of New Zealanders watching television tuned into see the Football Ferns in their historic 1-0 win against former world champions Norway.
The viewing figures made it the most-watched game of football in New Zealand for more than two decades, FIFA said.
Thursday’s game at Auckland’s Eden Park was broadcast on the Sky Sport pay channel, free-to-air Prime TV and via the streaming and on-demand service Sky Sport Now.
READ MORE: How to follow the FIFA Women’s World Cup openers on television >>>>
Australia’s opening game against the Republic of Ireland, which kicked off straight after the conclusion of the game from Eden Park, attracted an average of 1,970,000 viewers, peaking at 2,280,000 during the game.
This set a new record for the women’s national side, with the previous high being the 1,460,000 who watched them play at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Main photo credit: Unsplash — Norbert Braun.
Attendances set new records in New Zealand
Meanwhile, the tournament has got off to a flying start in New Zealand with record crowds attending the first set of matches throughout the country.
Attendances for the opening five games played in New Zealand:
42,137 — New Zealand v Norway (Eden Park, Auckland)
41,107 — United States v Vietnam (Eden Park, Auckland)
22,966 — Spain v Costa Rica (Sky Stadium, Wellington)
16,111 — Zambia v Japan (FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton)
13,711 — Philippines v Switzerland (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin)
READ MORE: Record books rewritten as crowds get behind FIFA Women’s World Cup >>>>
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