Global television audiences for the Women's World Cup in Canada bounced sharply higher in the opening days of the tournament and merchandise flew off the shelves, underscoring the growing popularity of the beautiful game.

本届女足世界杯在加拿大开幕以来，全球观看赛事的人数急剧增加，货架上的纪念品和商品清售一空，见证了这项魅力运动的人气上涨。

Some 3.3 million Americans tuned¹ in to watch Team USA's opening win against Australia, FIFA said, three times the number who saw its opener in Germany four years ago.

国际足联称，约330万美国人收看了美国队对澳大利亚队的开幕式比赛，这场比赛最终美国队获胜。观看人数是观看四年前德国女足世界杯开幕后首场比赛的人数的三倍。

In China, viewership nearly doubled for the country's first game while 16 percent more Japanese - 4.2 million - watched their defending champions beat Switzerland in the opener than watched them in the semifinals in the last tournament.

在中国，中国队的首场比赛的收视率翻倍，而上届冠军日本队首战瑞士队时的日本观众人数比上届半决赛收看人数增加了16％，达到4200万人。

A showdown between France and England drew roughly 1.5 million viewers in each country, a third more French viewers than last time.

英法两队的对决吸引了两国观众各约1500万人，而法国观看比赛的人数超过比上届女足世界杯上多了三分之一。

The figures, while far below the average official rating of 188.4 million viewers per game in the men's World Cup in Brazil last year, highlights the growing momentum² in the women's game.

虽然这些数据远低于2014年巴西男足世界杯平均每场1.884亿人观看的纪录，但凸显了女足比赛可喜的发展势头。

Women's football has played second fiddle³ to the more lucrative⁴ men's game but the bribery⁵ scandal surrounding FIFA has spurred interest in a section of the sport less drenched⁶ in money.

相对于商机无限的男足，女足的地位一直“低人一等”，但最近国际足联腐败丑闻缠身让人们重新燃起了对不太受金钱影响的女足运动的兴趣。

"The reason people sponsor sport is to connect to the ideals of sport," said Wade⁷ Oosterman, president of BCE Inc, a major sponsor and parent of the event's broadcaster, Bell Media.

“人们赞助这项运动是因为体育运动理念，” 本次世界杯的主要赞助商和通讯支持商贝尔集团（BCE Inc）董事长韦德•奥斯特曼（Wade Oosterman）说道。

"It's the joy of the game, it's competition, it's integrity and fair play, it's all those positive attributes - and thank God the Women's World Cup represents those in spades."

“这是享受比赛，是竞争、是诚信和公平，这些都是积极的意义。感谢上帝，女足世界杯将这一切都呈现出来了。”

More than 1.5 million fans are expected, nearly double that seen in Germany in 2011, which had fewer games, as tickets sell out.

本次世界杯有望吸引逾1500万球迷，是场次更少的上届德国女足世界杯观众人数的近两倍，而且门票已销售一空。

Sports bars in New York and Los Angeles filled up for the first US game, while lineups for merchandise at games in Edmonton and Winnipeg snaked hundreds of meters as fans stood for hours to get a t-shirt or hat.

在美国队首场比赛时，纽约和洛杉矶的体育酒吧里挤满了人，而在加拿大的埃德蒙顿（Edmonton）和温尼伯（Winnipeg）两座城市中，球迷们正排着蜿蜒数百米的长队苦等数小时，只为了得到纪念T恤和帽子。

"I have been 10 years in the business and every year it is growing," said Aftab Hadi, owner of Robson Sports, which sells licensed⁸ team sports jerseys⁹, caps and scarves on Vancouver’s main shopping street a few blocks from the football stadium.

“我从事这一行有十年了，每年的销量都在上涨。”经营罗布森体育用品店的阿夫塔卜•哈迪（Aftab Hadi）说。哈迪的店在温哥华足球场附近主商业街上销售有授权的球衣、帽子和围巾等。

Official Women's World Cup football balls, which cost C$159 each, are almost sold out, he said.

哈迪表示，官方女足世界杯足球每个售价159加元（约790元人民币），全部都销售一空。

Even so, the attention paid to the women's game does not yet match the focus on men's football.

尽管如此，对女足的关注度仍然不能与男足相比。

Joe Wendt, manager of a River City Sports store near Winnipeg's stadium, said Canadian women's football apparel has sold well during the tournament - but only about half as well as gear for men's teams usually does.

温尼伯体育场附近河城体育（River City Sports ）商店的经理乔•温特（Joe Wendt）表示，加拿大的女子球服在比赛期间卖得非常好——但只是平常男足球服销量的一半而已。