World Cup ratings for first England and Wales games revealed
Both teams are playing in the same group in the 2022 World Cup.
Yesterday saw both England and Wales play their first matches in the 2022 Qatar World Cup tournament, and now viewing figures for both matches have been revealed.
Deadline reports that England's match against Iran, which ended 6-2, was watched by a peak of eight million viewers yesterday, while Wales's match against the USA, which ended 1-1, was watched by a peak of 11.5 million.
Of course, a number of caveats need to be added to these figures. England's game drew in far fewer viewers than their first match at the 2018 Russia World Cup, which had a peak of 18.6 million, but that game was played in the evening, while yesterday's game kicked off at 1pm GMT.
Meanwhile, sporting match viewing figures are often disproportionate to the number of people actually watching, due to the large group gatherings in pubs and other venues not being taken into account.
England will next play USA on Friday 25th November at 7pm GMT, while Wales's next match will take place on the same day against Iran at 10am GMT.
There will then be one more round of matches in the group stages before the competition moves into the knockout stages.
During Iran's first match against England, the team declined to sing their national anthem before kick off. It widely considered to be an expression of support for human rights protests which are currently ongoing in the country.
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Each of this year's World Cup matches for both teams will be shown live across the BBC and ITV, with the tournament running through until 18th December 2022. It is the first ever World Cup to be held during Winter in the northern hemisphere.
Read more:
- World Cup 2022 fixtures: Dates, kick-off times and results
- World Cup 2022 predictions: Winner, dark horses, flop and top scorer
- World Cup 2022 on TV: Schedule, TV channels and live stream
- Who will win the World Cup 2022? Every team ranked
Check out our World Cup hub for all the latest from Qatar 2022, including match previews, predictions and analysis.
If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
