ITV’s match picks have seen it screen the Lionesses’ dramatic semi-final as well as key group stage games and pull in its biggest viewing figures of 2025
ITV has claimed victory in the battle of the Euro 2025 broadcasters, boosted by Ian Wright’s passionate support for the Lionesses.
ITV’s gamble in choosing to have first pick of the semi-finals – while giving the BBC three of the four quarter-finals – paid off with 10.2m watching England’s thrilling win over Italy on Tuesday, its biggest audience of 2025.
The commercial network said it was now the “home of the Lionesses” and brought forward the start time of its final coverage in a bid to steal a march on the BBC, as the rivals embarked go head-to-head in screening tonight’s final against Spain.
Scenes of pundit Wright’s ecstatic celebration of Michelle Agyemang’s late equaliser against Italy went viral, embodying the feel-good factor delivered by the Lionesses’ success.
It was Wright’s return to the ITV team after fellow pundit Eni Aluko said the former England men’s striker was blocking broadcasting opportunities for female players. Aluko later apologised for her remarks.
ITV’s audience has soared from the 2.6m who watched England’s opening 2-1 defeat to France, a result threatening an early exit which would have cost the network millions in lost advertising revenue.
Viewing figures hit 4.2m viewers for the team’s final group game against Wales the following week, which secured England’s qualification for the knock-out stages.
England’s quarter-final win against Sweden on penalties was seen by 7.3m viewers on the BBC.
The combined audience for the final could exceed the 17.4m who watched England’s Euro 2022 victory over Germany on the BBC.
A peak audience of more than 12m tuned in to the World Cup final last summer between the Lionesses and Spain in Sydney, which was a morning kick-off for UK audiences.
On Sunday, the BBC and ITV announced that they had secured broadcasting rights to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, ensuring the biggest tournament in women’s football remains free-to-air for UK audiences.
The tournament, consisting of 32 teams, kicks off in June 2027 and will be the first Women’s World Cup to take place in South America. Sixty-four games will be played over eight host cities, with the final taking place on Sunday 25 July.
Games will again be split between BBC Sport and ITV, with both airing the final. The rival networks have also secured shared rights to the men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026 and 2030.
The Euro and World Cup finals must be shown on free-to-air TV as a sporting “crown jewel”. Women’s international football finals were added to the list in 2022. However the BBC and ITV must bid for rights to show those tournaments as a whole, in a commercial negotiation with UEFA and FIFA.
ITV and the BBC declined to bid for this Summer’s FIFA Club World Cup Championship, won by Chelsea. Streaming platform DAZN took the rights in a $1bn (£787m) deal, in a move which could influence FIFA to look kindly on the Saudi-backed DAZN if it makes a future bid for World Cup games.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “ITV is proud to play a key role in supporting the tremendous growth of women’s football in the UK. ITV Sport is the home of the Lionesses and it’s vital we ensure tournaments like the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 remains free-to-air for generations of football fans to enjoy, with support of the game at an all time high.”
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: “BBC Sport has been a longstanding champion of women’s football, helping to elevate the game to where it is today. From domestic leagues to major international tournaments, we’ve brought the defining moments to millions across the UK already, including this summer’s Women’s Euros.”
The BBC, which traditionally wins head-to-head battles with ITV when both share major football finals, faced serious competition on Sunday.
ITV pushed forward the start-time of its coverage, led by Laura Woods, from 4pm to 3.30pm. BBC schedulers then changed the start of its final programme, fronted by Gabby Logan, from 4pm to 3.40pm.
