Women's Rugby World Cup Opens with Record 4.6 Million BBC Viewers

The Women's Rugby World Cup has set new records in viewership and attendance during its opening weekend, highlighted by England's dominant 69-7 victory over the USA. The match drew a peak audience of 2.4 million on BBC One and 600,000 on iPlayer, contributing to a total of 4.6 million viewers tuning in over the weekend across BBC platforms. The attendance record was broken with 42,723 spectators at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, surpassing the previous World Cup final crowd in New Zealand. In addition, over 400,000 tickets have been sold ahead of the second round, with the 82,000-capacity Allianz Stadium for the final completely sold out, underscoring the tournament's growing commercial success backed by major sponsors like Mastercard and Capgemini. The tournament has also seen strong engagement online, with 3.2 million unique visitors accessing content on the BBC Sport website and app during the opening week. Organizers and pundits alike view this edition as a pivotal moment for women's rugby, hoping it will set new standards and continue the momentum toward greater visibility and investment in the sport.