EURO 2020 was watched by a total audience of FIVE BILLION viewers with each match attracting an average of 100million fans, while England's heart-breaking defeat to Italy was witnessed by 328m people worldwide UEFA has published viewing figures for the tournament held in June and July Numbers show a slight increase on the last competition in 2016 in France But officials are celebrating big increases in audience in global markets And EURO 2020 was successful in engaging users online through social media By Charlie Walker For Mailonline Published: 10:18 BST, 2 September 2021 | Updated: 10:24 BST, 2 September 2021 Viewcomments Euro 2020 was watched by a cumulative audience of more than five billion viewers, according to figures from the organisers, UEFA. The tournament, held across eleven cities, including London, in June and July attracted an average of 100 million viewers for each game, the governing body said today. And the final, which England lost on penalties to Italy at Wembley Stadium on July 11, was watched by an audience of 328 million. A total audience of more than five billion viewers watched EURO 2020 this summer It was most-watched TV event in the UK in 24 years and in Italy since 2012. EURO 2020 NUMBERS · Live match cumulative event audience: 5.2 billion · Live average audience for the final: 328 million · Live average match audience: 100 million+ · Live unique reach of 1.9 billion · Number of territories: 229 · Number of broadcasters: 137 UEFA Advertisement UEFA marketing director, Guy-Laurent Epstein, hailed the total, cumulative audience of 5.23 billion viewers. He said: 'The incredible TV audience figures show the massive appeal that EURO has, not only in Europe but worldwide. 'The tournament has a global audience which continues to grow, in particular in North America and Asia, where the fan base following EURO keeps expanding. 'We also note that there is an ever-increasing number of fans accessing matches through streaming services.' Overall, the figures are slightly up on the previous tournament held in France in 2016, which attracted just under five billion viewers overall, however, UEFA is encouraged by growth in global markets. In China, the viewing figures grew by 43% compared to 2016, with a cumulative audience of 352 million. While, in the US, audiences increased by 32% with a cumulative TV audience of 87 million. India registered a growth rate of 229%, and a cumulative audience of 107 million. The impact of the tournament on social media was also significant with football authorities and broadcasters exploring ways to engage younger audiences. The final, which saw England defeated by Italy, attracted 328 million viewers In the UK, Euro 2020 final was the most watched TV event in 24 years, but ended in disappointment for England and its supporters as the team lost on penalties to Italy Euro 2020 was the 'most engaged' European Championships so far, with 7.5 billion interactions and views, of which two billion were generated by official UEFA accounts. Epstein said: 'Digitally, we have seen incredible engagement during the tournament, and we are extremely satisfied with the performance of our own UEFA platforms. 'The UEFA.com website and application has seen a 250% increase in traffic compared to 2016. It shows that our content offer has been extremely well received by fans and that our digital set-up is amazing.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility