More people watched Wales’ opening game of the 2022 World Cup against USA than watched England’s tournament opener against Iran, official figures have revealed.
Wales played their first World Cup match in 64 years on Monday night at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, with Gareth Bale’s 82nd minute penalty rescuing a deserved point in what promises to be a tight and hotly-contested Group B.
England, meanwhile, had a much easier time of it against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, securing a 6-2 win thanks to two goals from Bukayo Saka and a goal apiece for Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
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According to the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) - a British organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings throughout the United Kingdom - two million more people watched the Wales game than watched the England game.
According to the statistics released on Tuesday, an average audience of 9.4 million settled down to watch Wales v USA on ITV, while an average of 7.4 million watched England v Iran on BBC One. One glaring reason for the difference is clearly the scheduling, with Wales playing in the prime-time slot between 7pm and 9pm and England kicking-off at 1pm during traditional working and school day hours.
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However, some of the disparity could also be put down to the fact that England are playing in their seventh World Cup in a row (the last time they failed to qualify was in 1994), and that the game against Iran was expected to be somewhat one-sided, as it proved. Meanwhile, for Wales, it was their first game on the biggest football stage of all since 1958, and it provided an opportunity for TV viewers to see Gareth Bale - widely regarded as one of the finest players of his generation and one of the greatest British players in history - finally play at a World Cup at the age of 33.
Wales’ next fixture is against Iran on Friday at 10am (UK time) in a game screened live on BBC One, while England play the USA in the evening game (7pm UK time) which will be shown on ITV.
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