Strong interest in Manchester City match revealed as one of 2024’s biggest and most-watched sports events | OneFootball

It has been revealed that one of Manchester City’s high-profile contests recorded some of the highest viewing figures and peaked interest across sports throughout 2024.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been involved in numerous high-profile clashes in recent years, drawing in huge viewing figures for domestic and European fixtures, as the 53-year-old extended his silverware collection to 18 trophies with the Sky Blues in 2024.

Manchester City clinched a record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title in May but were unable to retain their Emirates FA Cup crown. One week later, they suffered a surprise 2-1 loss to local rivals Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.

First-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo inflicted an agonizing defeat in north London. Manchester City was unable to turn around the two-goal deficit despite Jeremy Doku’s 84th-minute goal inspiring a late rally.

City, who had beaten Manchester United 2-1 in the 2023 FA Cup Final after a historic Ilkay Gundogan brace, also suffered a loss by the same scoreline to the Red Devils in a recent Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester Derby clashes have continually drawn in huge audiences globally, with new data revealing the popularity of the FA Cup Final meeting between the two clubs among viewers in the UK and abroad.

As detailed in a report from ExpressVPN, the 2024 FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester United brought ‘strong interest’ during the build-up despite viewing figures of the Wembley Stadium showpiece not being disclosed.

As an example, the report points towards the quarter-final tie between Manchester United and Liverpool, which reached a peak audience of 8.6 million viewers – the highest for an FA Cup quarter-final since 2018.

The final was available to fans across the globe. Supporters could stream the match live on ESPN+, while Dutch viewers watched via Ziggo Sport. International coverage drew millions of viewers across different regions.

Search interest in the FA Cup Final peaked at 368,000 in May, with notable interest coming from the UK, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ireland, and Kenya.

Manchester City lifted silverware at the start of the season with an FA Community Shield win over rivals United but risks being unable to add further to their trophy cabinet following a dismal run of recent results.