Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off with unprecedented record-breaking opening weekend on the BBC
The headline clash between England and the USA, which ended in a 69-7 victory for England, drew a peak audience of 2.4 million on BBC One and 600k on iPlayer. The weekend saw 2.1 million streams overall across BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website/app. In total 4.6 million viewers tuned in to live coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup over the weekend.
Scotland and Wales began their campaigns with a peak audience of 1.2 million on BBC One, as Scotland secured a 38-8 win. Ireland’s 42-14 victory over Japan drew a peak audience of 534,000 on BBC Two.
During the opening week of the tournament (Monday 18 August to Monday 25 August), 3.2 million unique visitors accessed Women’s Rugby Union World Cup content on the BBC Sport website and app, with 1.2 million of those engaging specifically with the comprehensive live text pages during the matches.
The opening weekend viewing figure surpasses the entire reach of the 2021 World Cup tournament (played in 2022), which attracted 3.7 million viewers overall, including 1.8 million for the final.
The attendance record for the Women’s Rugby World Cup was also broken on the opening night as 42,723 watched England beat USA in Sunderland.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, says: “It’s been a historical summer for women’s sport, and BBC Sport is proud to have been at the heart of it. These record-breaking figures for the opening weekend of the Women’s Rugby World Cup show the growing passion and interest of fans across the UK. With all four home nations competing on the world stage, we’re bringing audiences every match, every moment, and the stories behind these inspiring female athletes. And with the tournament just getting started, there’s much more to come.”
Ruby Tui, Black Fern and BBC Sport pundit, says: “If you could buy shares in women’s rugby – it would be your number one investment right now. It’s such a buzz to be here in England to witness this phenomenal growth of our game. World records are being broken every weekend and I’m here for it! How good!”
BBC Sport is the exclusive broadcaster of the Women’s Rugby World Cup with every match on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. All home nations matches, and knockout stage fixtures will be shown live on BBC One or BBC Two.
| Date | Kick-off | Match | Location | Where to watch |
| 30 Aug | 12pm | Canada v Wales | Salford Community Stadium | BBC Two, iPlayer |
| 30 Aug | 2.45pm | Scotland v Fiji | Salford Community Stadium | BBC Two, iPlayer |
| 30 Aug | 5pm | England v Samoa | Franklins Gardens, Northampton | BBC Two, iPlayer |
| 30 Aug | 7.30pm | USA v Australia | York Community Stadium | iPlayer |
| 31 Aug | 12pm | Ireland v Spain | Franklins Gardens, Northampton | BBC Two, iPlayer |
| 31 Aug | 2pm | New Zealand v Japan | Sandy Park, Exeter | iPlayer |
| 31 Aug | 3.30pm | Italy v South Africa | York Community Stadium | iPlayer |
| 31 Aug | 4.45pm | France v Brazil | Sandy Park, Exeter | iPlayer |
Follow the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 on TV, iPlayer, Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website/app and social media platforms on @BBCSport.
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