A rights deal to show this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup on terrestrial TV in the UK has been struck. All 64 matches will be shown live on the BBC and ITV who have reached a joint agreement.
The broadcasters will share the matches, including England’s Group D openers against Haiti, Denmark and China. Only the final will be the exception - this will be shown on both BBC One and ITV1.
The tournament, which is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, starts on July 20 when New Zealand face Norway in Auckland. England’s first match is against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22.
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: “We have shown every Women’s World Cup on the BBC since 1999 and we are happy to extend our partnership with FIFA for the upcoming tournament. The growth of the women’s game is extraordinary.”
ITV will split games between ITV1 and ITV4, with catch-up on ITVX. The company's director of Sport Niall Sloane said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring comprehensive coverage of the Women’s World Cup, free to air to our audiences with both live and highlights broadcasts across ITV and ITVX.”
The deal also includes live audio commentary on BBC 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra. It comes after FIFA and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) agreed to extend their existing media rights partnership.
The new arrangements expands on a previous commitment to free-to-air broadcast across the continent, adding the five major markets of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as Ukraine. FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the deal “a huge promotional and exposure opportunity for women’s football, which is a top priority for us in line with FIFA’s commitment to long-term development of the sport.”
