The recently concluded UEFA Euro 2020 which saw Italy crowned as champions achieved record-breaking audiences throughout the tournament, none more than the final itself. The final between Italy and England averaged 6.4 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-watched European Championship game ever in the United States.
The final at Wembley saw Italy beat England 3-2 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in extra time. During the penalty shootout, more than 8.2 million viewers tuned to ESPN, to watch all the drama unfold. As per the released figures by ESPN, it makes the final the most-watched UEFA event in the United States.
The game was up 43 per cent from the Euro 2016 final and was also the most-watched soccer telecast in the US since July 2019, when the USA won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. In comparison to Euro 2016 held in France, this tournament saw an overall 31 per cent increase in viewership. On average Euro 2020 hit 1.36 million viewers through all 51 matches in the tournament on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
Even the US Spanish language TV rights holder Univision, drew a whopping 2.9 million audiences in total during the final on Sunday. The network’s 11 matches averaged 1.2m total viewers, with games also aired on TUDN and streaming service Prende TV.
The viewership hike was not just restricted to the US as Canada also saw a surge in TV ratings. In Canada, meanwhile, the final between Italy and England averaged 3.6m viewers on TSN and CTV, peaking at nearly 4.7m viewers during the dramatic penalty shootout.
According to Bell Media, nearly 13.9 million Canadians, a staggering 37 per cent of the country’s population tuned in to watch matches of UEFA EURO 2020.
Elsewhere, Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Copa America final on July 10 drew 1.84m viewers on English-language cable network FS1 and 3.5m total viewers on the Spanish-language Univision. The game saw Lionel Messi lift his first major international trophy with La Albiceleste after 15 years of hard work and suffering.