Matildas break historic ratings records in win against Ireland
The Matildas have smashed historic television ratings records, with almost 2 million people tuning in to watch the team’s first match of their much-anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.
The shock absence of star skipper Sam Kerr did not deter viewers or crowds from the joint host’s opening match of the tournament, with an average of 1.93 million viewers watching on Seven and its online video service 7Plus.
Optus Sport, the broadcast partner of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, does not break out audience figures for its app.
Steph Catley celebrates after scoring from the penalty spot against Ireland. Edwina Pickles
The Matildas’ 1-0 win against the Republic of Ireland is now the most watched women’s team sports match in Australian history, breaking the previous record of 1.87 million for the Matildas’ semi-final against Sweden at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Australia’s first World Cup match was also far bigger than its friendly against France last Friday night, which was watched by 299,000 viewers on Network Ten.
Of the 1.92 million that tuned in on free-to-air television on Thursday night, the majority (1.74 million) watched the game on Channel Seven. Another 184,000 viewers watched on 7Plus. The peak audience was 2.28 million. Combined with Optus Sport’s average audience figures, the total average audience for the match should be over the 2 million mark.
The result is one of the best for a female sports team in history, and could only grow if the Matildas continue into the next stages of the tournament.
A penalty goal from acting captain Steph Catley led the team to its win over Ireland, improving Australia’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition. The next match is against Nigeria on Thursday
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