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How to watch the Women’s World Cup Final in France

After a thrilling tournament marked by record viewing figures, the women's football world cup reaches its climax on Sunday - when England take on Spain in the final. Here's how to watch if you are in France.

Published: 21 July 2023 16:27 CEST
Updated: 20 August 2023 08:33 CEST
How to watch the Women’s World Cup Final in France
England's defender Alex Greenwood comforts Colombia's midfielder Jorelyn Carabali after their quarter-final defeat. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP

It’s already been a remarkable World Cup – France might have been knocked out but their penalty shoot-out with Australia was the longest ever recorded in a women’s tournament – and the best is yet to come.

The final is on Sunday, August 20th, at 12 noon French time.

The good news is that all matches of the tournament have been screened on free-to-air terrestrial TV in France, and the final is no exception.

It will be on TV channel France 2.

Allez putain ! – The French phrases you’ll need for the World Cup

The time difference of the tournament – hosted by Australia and New Zealand – has meant that ‘fan zones’ have not been erected.

However you should be able to find sports bars or cafés who are showing Sunday’s game (although not as many as there would have been had Les bleues made it to the final).

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SPORT

How to follow the Tour de France on French TV (and why you might want to)

The Tour de France started earlier than usual this year - here's how to follow the race on TV, and why the coverage is of interest even if you're not a cycling fan.

Published: 18 June 2024 15:15 CEST
Updated: 2 July 2024 08:59 CEST
How to follow the Tour de France on French TV (and why you might want to)

For the first time since the Tour de France began in 1903, it will not finish in or near Paris, but instead in Nice, in order to accommodate the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

The event also started earlier than usual, with the grand départ on Saturday, June 29th, and they will cross the finish line on July 21st.

This 2024 race began in Florence, Italy, and the cyclists entered France on July 2nd.

According to the race website, there “will be eight flat stages, as well as four hilly, seven mountain (with four summit finishes at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, Plateau de Beille, Isola 2000, Col de la Couillole), two time trials and two rest days.”

This year, participants will climb a total vertical gain of 52,230 meters, crossing a distance of 3,492 kilometres.

Credit: Tour de France official website

How can I watch the race?

If you are in France, then you can enjoy rolling coverage on the free-to-view TV channels of France 2 and France 3. 

It’s not just footage of men on bikes, the TV coverage is famed for its highlighting of the more unknown corners of France so it’s a great way to discover new places to visit. 

For those outside of France, you can go onto the official race website (HERE) to see a listing of all ‘live’ broadcasters in several different countries. 

As much of the race takes place during the day when many are working, you can enjoy recaps each evening at 8.45pm on France 3 via the ‘TLS Tour de France’ show. This looks back on the best moments of the day, giving a summary of that stage and the results, as well as reactions from teams and rider, plus analysis from experts. 

Later on, the Tour de France Femmes, scheduled for August 12th to 18th, will also be broadcast on the France Télévisions website. This is free to watch but you will first need to create an account on the site, you will need a 5-digit French postal code to make an account (eg 75004 if you’re in central Paris).

Why watch the Tour de France?

Each year between 10 and 12 million spectators watch the race widely considered to be the most famous and most difficult cycle challenge, according to Le Figaro.

The Tour de France route changes every year, so viewers not only witness the impressive athleticism of participants, but they also explore France’s different regions. The towns that stage the départs (start of each race day) usually put on a festival often incorporating local traditions, food and drink (for the spectators, not the cyclists).

This year, the Tour de France will go through beautiful landscapes in the Occitanie region, as well as the Alps and across central France.

The race has a fascinating history, and every now and again there are spectacular crashes which will keep you wincing.

There is also a hit Netflix docu-series called ‘Tour de France: Unchained’ that may be a good place to start for the uninitiated.

French vocab

Le maillot jaune – yellow jersey (worn by the winner)

Le grand départ – the race start

Le départ – the start of each stage 

Le peloton – the group of cyclises (literally translated as ‘the pack’)

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