This season’s FA Cup with Budweiser Final, contested between Chelsea and Liverpool on Saturday 5 May, attracted the highest terrestrial viewing figure for all club football finals this season.

This is a major fillip for the competition in its first year of sponsorship with Budweiser.

The FA Cup Final figure of 10.95m with an average of 8.78m and an audience share of 44 per cent on ITV1, eclipsed even Chelsea’s dramatic Champions League Final victory over Bayern Munich which attracted a peak audience on ITV1 of 10.57m, an average of 8.06m and a share of 33 per cent.

The FA Cup Final also attracted a larger audience than Liverpool’s League Cup Final victory over Cardiff in February which peaked at 10.46m, average 7.05m with a share of 35 per cent on BBC.

Stuart Turner, The FA’s Commercial Director said: “The decision to move The FA Cup Final from its traditional starting time of 3pm to a 5.15pm kick-off was seen by some as a retrograde step.

"But if we can bring our Final to audiences that exceed even the might of the Champions League Final, then this has to be good for the long-term health of the competition and its fans, plus the great awareness it would have brought for our partners, not least Budweiser."