Quick Guide to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

From TV Viewers to Supporters on Social

Another FIFA Women’s World Cup has come and gone, and Spain was crowned World Champion. While the winner has been decided, there is still a wealth of data to learn from on how audiences engaged around the tournament.

Telecast Performance: National; Household

With the United States' historic success in the women’s World Cup in years past, it’s no surprise that American households tuned in in large numbers. The strongest viewing was recorded during the U.S.’ match against the Netherlands, earning an average live household rating of 5.2, or just over 1 in 20 households.

Note: World Cup Final Data is preliminary and should be used for directional purposes only
Source: Comscore TV. National TV® FOX, July 20 - August 20, 2023, US.

Local Market performance: USWNT v. Netherlands:

As the July 26, 2023 match versus the Netherlands earned strong ratings across the country, we take a closer look at the local markets that performed particularly well . El Paso, TX earned the strongest local rating in the nation, pulling in an average live household rating of 10.1, nearly twice that of the 5.2 average rating recorded nationally. Austin, TX and Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX also earned the third and fifth positions respectively, giving Texas three markets all within the top five.

Source: Comscore TV. Local TV® All Market, July 20 - August 20, 2023, US.

USWNT Telecast Performance: Age & Gender

While each game recorded different ratings and average audiences, viewing remained fairly consistent across age groups. In general, households containing younger audiences were more likely to tune into each telecast. The strongest performance came from households containing those aged 18-34. The group earned its highest index in the July 26 match versus Netherlands on FOX, where households containing those aged 18-34 were 10% more likely to tune in than the general viewing audience.

Source: Comscore TV. National TV® FOX, July 20 - August 20, 2023, US.

Viewing between males and females also followed a distinct trend. In general, games containing the U.S. Women’s National Team were 10% more likely to be viewed by households containing men.

Source: Comscore TV. National TV®, FOX, July 20 - August 20, 2023, US.

World Cup Across Social Channels

While the Women’s World Cup earned millions of viewers on linear television, the event engaged audiences across social channels as well. Posts mentioning “womensworldcup” and “womensfootball” earned a combined 8.8 million actions between 7/20/23-8/20/2023. However, Despite being eliminated in the Round of 16, posts mentioning the U.S. Women’s National Team, or “USWNT” engaged audiences further, earning 16.2 million total actions across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & X.

Wrap-Up

Despite the United States Women’s National Team being eliminated in the round of 16, it is clear that American viewers paid the most attention when the defending champions were on the field. Three of the four games involving the USWNT all earned ratings higher than that of the World Cup Final on linear TV, and posts mentioning the USWNT earned over 2 times as many actions on social media than general World Cup content.

This strong engagement across screens signals the continued reciprocal relationship that linear tv and social platforms have, and provides a unique opportunity for advertisers and fans alike when we welcome the FIFA Women’s World Cup back to screens in 2027.

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