What are the biggest TV audiences for England football matches?
Here are the biggest UK TV audiences for Englands World Cup and Euro matches since comparable records began. The figures have been compiled by the PA news agency from archive data published by the audience research organisation Barb, and are for the average audience across the whole coverage, not the peak number of viewers watching at any one point during the game. 1. West Germany v England, 1990: 25.2 million  Not only is this the biggest ever TV audience for an England football match, its also one of the most-watched live events in UK history. Englands semi-final with West Germany was shown by both the BBC and ITV, the BBC beating its rival by two to one (16.7 million watched BBC One, 8.5 million ITV). When the match went to penalties, half the nation was in front of a television to see England lose the shoot-out 4-3. Among those unable to watch the game were prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs, who were allowed to listen on radios in their cells, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, who were hosting a concert at Buckingham Palace. Diana reportedly announced the result to guests, concluding: Im reliably informed that Pearce and Waddle missed.  2. Argentina v England, 1998: 23.8 million  This was another crucial match settled by penalty kicks. Englands Round of 16 clash with Argentina gave ITV its largest ever audience for live sport, as once again millions watched England go out of another World Cup after losing a shoot-out 4-3. 3. Germany v England, 1996: 23.8 million  Id be surprised if you didnt watch it on the BBC, Des Lynam told viewers. Frankly, Id be disappointed.  Some 17.5 million people heeded his words and tuned to BBC One to see Englands Euro 96 semi-final against Germany, which ended in yet another penalty shoot-out and a 6-5 defeat for the Three Lions. A further 6.3 million people ignored Lynam and watched the spectacle on ITV. The precise total TV audience was 23.76 million, ranking it just behind the 23.78 million who saw Argentina v England in 1998. Expand Close England captain Tony Adams clashes with Germanys Andreas Moller during the Euro 96 semi-final at Wembley (Sean Dempsey/PA) / Facebook  Twitter  Email  Whatsapp England captain Tony Adams clashes with Germanys Andreas Moller during the Euro 96 semi-final at Wembley (Sean Dempsey/PA)  4. Argentina v England, 1986: 23.7 million  Englands quarter-final match with Argentina at the 1986 World Cup attracted 15.3 million viewers on BBC One and 8.4 million on ITV. This was another ratings blockbuster that ended in defeat for England, with Argentina triumphing 2-1 thanks to goal-scorer Diego Maradona and a little help from the hand of God. 5. Cameroon v England, 1990: 23.6 million  Back to Italia 90 for Englands World Cup quarter-final match with Cameroon, which England won 3-2 after extra time. The game was shown by both the BBC and ITV, with 15.7 million watching BBC One and 7.9 million choosing ITV. 6. Croatia v England, 2018: 20.7 million  This is the most recent match to make it into the top 10. ITV had sole rights to Englands 2018 World Cup semi-final clash with Croatia, which ended 2-1 to Croatia after extra time. Expand Close England manager Gareth Southgate and players applaud fans after losing against Croatia during the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow (Owen Humphreys/PA) / Facebook  Twitter  Email  Whatsapp England manager Gareth Southgate and players applaud fans after losing against Croatia during the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow (Owen Humphreys/PA)  7. Portugal v England, 2004: 20.7 million  The BBC had sole rights to this Euro 2004 quarter-final, and to date it remains the channels single biggest audience for an England football match. With the score level at 2-2 after extra time, the dreaded penalty kicks ended 6-5 to Portugal. The precise audience was 20.66 million, placing it just behind the TV audience of 20.73 million for Croatia v England in 2018. 8. England v Italy, 2012: 20.3 million  Yet another game that saw England sent home from an international tournament thanks to a penalty shoot-out. Englands Euro 2012 quarter-final with Italy was goalless after extra time, but ended with the Italians winning the shoot-out 4-2. The match was shown on BBC One. Expand Close Englands Ashley Young is consoled by John Terry after England lose the penalty shoot-out against Italy at Euro 2012 (Anthony Devlin/PA) / Facebook  Twitter  Email  Whatsapp Englands Ashley Young is consoled by John Terry after England lose the penalty shoot-out against Italy at Euro 2012 (Anthony Devlin/PA)  9. Romania v England, 1998: 19.5 million  This was Englands second group match of the 1998 World Cup, and ended in a 2-1 defeat. The evening kick-off helped ITV pull in a massive audience. A few days earlier, Englands first group match against Tunisia had attracted only 11.4 million on BBC One  but that had kicked off in the afternoon. Expand Close David Beckham plays in the England v Romania match during the 1998 World Cup (Adam Butler/PA) / Facebook  Twitter  Email  Whatsapp David Beckham plays in the England v Romania match during the 1998 World Cup (Adam Butler/PA)  10. England v Belgium, 1990: 19.3 million  Englands Round of 16 match at Italia 90 was shown by both BBC One and ITV, who got audiences of 13.3 million and 6.0 million respectively. England clinched a 1-0 victory after extra time, making it one of only two matches in the top 10 most-watched games that ended in a Three Lions win. Note: No comparable ratings were compiled for UK television channels before 1981. Any viewing figures quoted for matches taking place before this date, such as the 1966 World Cup final, are not reliable and should be treated with caution. The biggest average TV audience so far in Euro 2020 is provisionally 17.2 million, based on overnight ratings for Englands quarter-final match with Germany on June 29.