The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 garnered a record-breaking cumulative viewership of 93.5 million across the region, beIN Sports revealed.
The Qatar-based network provided exclusive real-time coverage for all 64 matches of the tournament in both the Arabic and English languages.
“When we launched our beINSPIRED initiative on the eve of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019, the aim was to help grow under-represented sports and one of our focuses was women’s football,” said Mohammad Al Subaie, CEO of beIN – MENA.
“This year’s Women’s World Cup expanded from 24 teams to 32 teams, yet what we have witnessed this past month shows that not only is interest growing in the region, but the way fans follow the game is evolving too. With a cumulative viewership of over 93m tuning into our linear coverage from across the region, the growth of women’s football is undeniable, and we are very proud to be helping drive that.”
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Major events like the semi-finals and final, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, were televised on beIN Sports’ free-to-air channel as part of the network’s push for the visibility of women’s sports.
The tournament was held in Australia and New Zealand where almost two million spectators were attended the matches in person– a notable increase of over 600,000 compared to the previous record.
Spain faced off against England at the final in Sydney to lift its first World Cup title following an intense 1-0 game.
Deemed as a record-breaking event, women’s national teams from The Philippines, the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, and Morocco played on the global football stage for the first time.
Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina also made history by becoming the first player to wear a hijab at a World Cup.
