Surprisingly, the FIFA Women's World Cup final between Spain and England on August 20 resonated well with American television viewers.

In fact, the match “was the most-watched Women's World Cup Final on American television that did not include the United States,” per APNews.com's Joe Reedy. An audience of 2,059,000 English- and Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States watched La Roja's 1-0 triumph over the Lionesses on FOX and Telemundo on Sunday.

It was a considerable improvement from the 1.2 million viewers who witnessed Germany's victory over Sweden on ABC 20 years ago. However, the early start time of 6 a.m. EST of this year's final and USWNT's early exit made it challenging for many soccer fans to tune in.

Consequently, the final ratings were still a far cry from the 16.9 million Americans who watched USWNT's second consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup title in 2019. It represented an 87.8 percent decline without the USWNT in the final.

Nevertheless, as many as 2.45 million Americans watched the final 15 minutes of the final on FOX on Sunday. The entire tournament had an average viewership of 664,000 on FOX and FS1. It represented a 60 percent decline from the average of 1.66 million viewers four years earlier.

When the USWNT played in this year's tournament, an average of 3,795,000  viewers tuned in on FOX and FS1.

Spain makes history in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

Olga Carmona's goal in the 29th minute propelled Spain to a 1-0 triumph and its first FIFA Women's World Cup title on Sunday. Controversy marred the post-match awarding ceremony when Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips. Rubiales issued an apology for his actions afterward.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is officially in the books. Despite USWNT's early exit, it was one of the most most memorable tournaments in recent years.