USA vs Netherlands: Live stream searches for Women's World Cup final surge as fans seek free ways to watch game

Links offering free streams for the match have already begun to appear in online search results and across social media – but fans should beware

The 2019 Women’s World Cup has seen more interest than any previous tournament of the women’s game before it, with fans tuning in to knock-out matches in record numbers – though security experts warn many have done so at the risk of their online safety.

The final between the USA and the Netherlands will kick-off at 4pm BST in Lyon, France, on Sunday 7 July. The game will be broadcast on Fox and Telemundo in the US and on BBC One and the BBC Sport website in the UK, meaning anyone in the UK with a TV license will be able to watch it.

Those without a license, however, may turn to illegal methods to watch the game for free. Online searches for free ways to watch the Women’s World Cup have surged in the hours leading up to every knock-out game of this year’s tournament, and the World Cup final is no different.

Links offering free streams for the match have already begun to appear in online search results, while some are even being shared across social media platforms like Twitter. Cyber security experts claim that clicking on such links could put people's financial and personal data at risk.

LIVE: Follow USA vs Netherlands Women's World Cup final

“Fake sites and redirects are a popular tactic used by cyber criminals and the fans paying to watch tonight’s match need to be aware of them, even if they look legitimate," Joseph Woodruff, a threat intelligence analyst at cyber security firm EclecticIQ, told The Independent last month ahead of England's Nations League match against the Netherlands.

"Cyber criminals use these sites to target users by telling them they have malware on their machine, recommending they call a support number and during the phone call, installing software which allows them into the system. It’s from here that other damage can be done, whether that is stealing payment details or installing ransomware."

Picture: (Getty Images)

Picture: (Getty Images)

Viewing figures for the 2019 tournament have already broken previous records, with the final expected to hit similar levels despite England not featuring.

The BBC were among the broadcasters to report record viewing figures in the latter stages of the tournament, with a peak of 11.7 million people watching the England team in their semi-final loss against the USA.

“I think what we are seeing at the World Cup is a real change in how people see women’s sports,” Jonathan Gibson, director of global sports sales at Ooyala, told The Independent.

“You can see by the crowds at the matches that this is just seen as a World Cup and not ‘women’s’ or ‘men’s’.”

According to Mr Gibson, the increased interest in women’s football means broadcasters and rights holders will need to be increasingly vigilant for instances of online piracy, which has plagued the men's game in recent years.

“Women’s sports is on the up and where you can watch it will only increase as broadcasters, platforms, and rights holders try to maximise on the revenue opportunities,” he said.