World Cup viewing figures: 19.4m UK viewers watch England crash out

England’s defeat to France in Qatar was watched by an average UK audience of 19.4 million viewers, TV figures showed.

A peak five-minute audience of 21.31 million people tuned in to ITV (and +1) to watch the end of the World Cup 2022 quarter-final match on Saturday.

England crashed out of the tournament after losing 2-1 to France.

Some people may have watched on other services such as ITVX, which are not reflected in the Barb rating figures.

The five-minute peak of 21.31 million was the most-watched single channel TV moment of 2022 so far.

There are several measures of TV viewing figures and broadcasters can also release statistics for peak one-minute viewing, which often reflect the highest viewing numbers.

Captain Harry Kane said on Twitter he was “absolutely gutted” after missing a penalty that would have meant England would have levelled up 2-2 to France.

He also scored an earlier penalty which took England to 1-1 after France took an early lead in the game when Aurélien Tchouaméni scored in the 17th minute.

Millions of fans have tuned in to watch England throughout the winter World Cup.