More than 20 million UK viewers tuned in to watch Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday, which was simulcast on BBC One and ITV.

Mario Gotze scored the winning goal for Germany during extra time

The BBC's coverage drew a bigger audience, averaging 12.1 million viewers and peaking with 16.7 million during the match's final five minutes.

ITV averaged 2.9 million viewers, peaking at 3.9 million in the last 10 minutes before the 90-minute whistle.

Germany scored seven minutes before the end of extra time to win 1-0.

Across the coverage, the BBC's audience share was 50.3%, accounting for about three out of four football viewers.

ITV's share was 12.1%, overnight figures show.

The BBC said it was "delighted" with its World Cup coverage and were "particularly pleased to have reached such a wide audience for the final".

"Brazil 2014 has really captivated the nation and we're very proud to deliver this to audiences across the UK," it said.

This World Cup final's UK viewing figures are slightly lower than 2010's

The total numbers are slightly down on 2010's World Cup final, where a peak of 17.9 million fans saw Spain beat the Netherlands on BBC One and 3.8 million on ITV.

England's defeat at the hands of Uruguay on 19 June was the most-watched match on a single British TV channel during the tournament.

According to overnight figures, an average 13.1 million viewers saw that game on ITV, peaking at 20.2 million when Wayne Rooney scored his first World Cup goal.

It was the most-watched event since the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, which attracted a peak audience of 27.3 million.

Source: BBC