THE REPUBLIC OF Ireland’s match against Canada in the Women’s World Cup was the most watched women’s team sport event in Irish TV history, according to new figures from RTÉ. 

The match, which was broadcast on RTÉ 2, had an average of 551,000 viewers. 

The average share of viewing of the Women’s World Cup 2023, excluding Ireland games, was more than double (20.7%) the average share for the 2019 tournament (8.9%). 

Average streams per match, excluding Ireland games, on RTÉ player were also more than double the number seen in 2019. 

Ireland’s opening match against Australia was the biggest live event of the year on RTÉ Player with 368,000 live streams. It was the second highest live streamed event ever on the platform. 

Yesterday’s final, which saw Spain defeat England 1-0 to become world champions for the first time, was watched by an average of 333,000 people on RTÉ 2, with a 48.3% share of viewing. It registered 69,400 live streams on RTÉ Player.

“The audience engagement figures across all platforms on RTÉ Sport show that women’s sport at international level continues to grow, excel and inspire,” RTÉ group head of sport Declan McBennett said.

“This growth must be matched now at national level to provide the legacy the tournament deserves and the platform for further participation growth.”