The opening weekend viewing figure surpassed the entire reach of the 2021 World Cup, which was played in 2022 and attracted 3.7 million viewers overall, including 1.8 million for the final.
The attendance record for the Women’s Rugby World Cup was also broken on the opening night as 42,723 watched the Red Roses beat the American Eagles 69-7 in Sunderland.
“It’s been a historical summer for women’s sport and BBC Sport is proud to have been at the heart of it,” said BBC Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski.
“These record-breaking figures for the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup show the growing passion and interest of fans across the UK.
“With all four home nations competing on the world stage, we’re bringing audiences every match, every moment, and the stories behind these inspiring female athletes. And with the tournament just getting started, there’s much more to come.”
Ruby Tui, a New Zealand international and BBC Sport pundit, added: “If you could buy shares in women’s rugby, it would be your number one investment right now.
“It’s such a buzz to be here in England to witness this phenomenal growth of our game. World records are being broken every weekend and I’m here for it.”
BBC Sport is the exclusive broadcaster of the Rugby World Cup, with every match on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
All home nations matches and knockout stage fixtures will be shown live on BBC One or BBC Two.
