The Lionesses bowed out at the last four for the third consecutive major tournament after missing a late penalty and seeing a goal marginally ruled out for offside in a 2-1 loss to the world champions.

Viewing figures released by BBC showed that the match in Lyon grabbed a peak share of 50% TV audiences.

“It’s moved from being an interesting Olympic-type sport to an absolute mainstream sport,” former Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn told the BBC.

“The game is an attraction, pulling girls and women into playing.

“At the top end, what will make the product of the Women’s Super League more attractive is getting more exposure in the millions, so being on terrestrial TV is important, making sure the games are played in elite stadiums that the men play and continuing to improve the quality of football.”

The England men’s team’s defeat to Croatia in the World Cup semi-final last year attracted a peak audience of 26.5 million.