It is being reported that the Matildas' triumph over the Olympic champions is the most-watched programme so far this year on Channel Seven and its online service 7Plus.

Hayley Raso scored a brace with Mary Fowler and Stephanie Catley joining her on the scoresheet as the Women's World Cup co-hosts cruised past the Canadians.

Total reach was reported at 4.7 million with the match being the top programme of the night in state of Western Australia, reaching an audience of 177,000.

Out of the 4.7 million, 260,000 viewers tuned in on 7Plus.

On top of this, 27,706 people attended the match in person at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Australia is set to face Denmark in the round of 16 but it is unlikely that matches will continue to break viewership records regularly.

This is because most of the knockout games are behind paywall with fans requiring to pay AUD$24.99 (£12.88/$16.45/€14.98) to watch it on Optus.

Optus, that secured broadcast rights for the tournament, sold free-to-air rights to 15 key matches to Seven.

After Australia's group stage matches, some quarter-finals, the two semi-finals and the final are free-to-air on Seven while subscribers of Optus will have access to all 64 games.

The round of 16 clash between Australia and Denmark, scheduled for Monday (August 7), is available for free on Seven.