Euro 2020 final: England v Italy TV audience peaked at 31 million to become third biggest TV event ever

A staggering 31 million people across Britain tuned in to watch the Euro 2020 final – figures only ever trumped by the 1966 World Cup final (32m) and Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 (32.1m).

Viewers looked on as England’s Euro 2020 dream ended with defeat to Italy in a penalty shoot-out in Sunday’s final.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka shared the pain of missing spot-kicks as England succumbed to familiar heartbreak at Wembley.

The final, screened live on both BBC One and ITV, had a combined peak audience of 31.1m viewers across both channels, with an average of 21.8m and overall share of 82%.

According to viewing figures, BBC1 had an average of 17.8m viewers, while ITV’s broadcast brought in 4m.

At its peak, the channels had a combined 90% share with 25m (74%) watching the coverage on BBC1, and 5.8m (17.1%) tuning in on ITV.

The combined figures put the game third on the list of most-watched events in British TV history.

Italy's Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci celebrate with the trophy after winning the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium.

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