Mon, July 28, 2025
BBC and ITV to broadcast 2027 Women’s World Cup
The BBC and ITV have acquired broadcasting rights to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup set to take place in Brazil, meaning that the event will remain free-to-air in the UK which is vital to ensure continued growth for the women’s tournament and the women’s game as a whole.
The free coverage will also allow the UK to capitalise on the vigour generated by the Lionesses’ win at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 where England were victorious against Spain, the defending World Champions after beating England 1-0 in the World Cup final in 2023.
The World Cup will include 32 teams and commence on 24 June 2027. It will be the first Women’s World Cup to take place in South America, and 64 games will be played over eight host cities, with the final taking place on Sunday 25 July.
The BBC and ITV will split games evenly between them in the group and knockout stages and both will broadcast the final. The BBC will also place the coverage on iPlayer and the ITV will do the same on ITVX. ITV will also cover England’s qualifying matches and friendlies ahead of the tournament.
Alex Kay-Jelski, BBC Director of Sport, voiced: “Extending our partnership with FIFA alongside ITV ensures that the drama and spectacle of the Women's World Cup remains free-to-air, continuing to inspire audiences across the UK, and bring in new fans of the game…
BBC Sport has been a longstanding champion of women's football, helping to elevate the game to where it is today – a sport experiencing unprecedented growth in popularity and reach across BBC Sport platforms…
From domestic leagues to major international tournaments, we've brought the defining moments to millions across the UK already, including this summer's Women's Euro tournament.”
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, expressed: “ITV is proud to play a key role in supporting the tremendous growth of women’s football in the UK. ITV Sport is the home of the Lionesses and it’s vital we ensure tournaments like the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 remains free-to-air for generations of football fans to enjoy, with support of the game at an all time high…
ITV's coverage of the Lionesses victory over Italy in the UEFA Women's EUROs 2025 Semi-Final delivered ITV's biggest peak audience of the year with 10.2 million people tuning in, highlighting the brilliant support and interest in women's football. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 is sure to be another standout tournament and we look forward to continuing our relationship with both FIFA and the BBC.”
Despite factors such as the success of the Lionesses, the fact that women’s rugby is on the rise within England and that women earned nearly half of Great Britain’s medals during the 2024 Paris Games, a recent UK study has revealed that half of female athletes within the UK encounter sexism despite significant progress within women’s sport. Therefore, it is vital that the women’s game is promoted as widely as possible, and that England capitalises on the success of its women’s team.
BBC sport will also cover the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 which will be held in England and commence on 22 August 2025.
The BBC and ITV’s statement can be found here.
