The BBC and ITV have struck a deal to show live coverage of the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The two broadcasters will share the tournament’s 64 matches, which will be broadcast either the BBC or ITV, with both then screening the Final. The BBC has also secured radio rights and will be bringing BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra listeners live audio commentary of matches.
Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, says: “We have shown every Women’s World Cup on the BBC since 1999 and we are happy to extend our partnership with FIFA for the upcoming tournament.
“The growth of the women’s game is extraordinary, demonstrated by the 28 million who watched BBC coverage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the huge audience of 17.4 million who watched our coverage of the Euro 2022 final on TV last summer.
“In partnership with ITV we are delighted to make this World Cup available to the widest possible audience and free to air.”
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, says: “We’re delighted to be able to bring comprehensive coverage of the Women’s World Cup, free to air to our audiences with both live and highlights broadcasts across ITV and ITVX.
“This tournament promises to provide memorable moments with the popularity of women’s football continuing to grow.
“England’s Lionesses are entering the World Cup Finals as European champions and fans have been able to follow their progress to qualification on ITV through our coverage of the World Cup qualifiers, so we hope they’ll join us to see all the action from Australia and New Zealand throughout the tournament.”