The team’s Women’s World Cup semi-final against the Lionesses reached 11.15 million viewers nationally on Wednesday night, drawing an average audience of 7.13 million on Seven and 7Plus.

The numbers mean it’s the most-watched TV program in Australian homes in more than 20 years and the country’s biggest-ever streaming event, with 957,000 online viewers included in the tally.

The game peaked at 6.9 million viewers on broadcast, with an 89.8 per cent commercial audience share in total people.

7plus dominated bring-your-own-device viewing with a 76.2 per cent share. In live streaming, it had an 84.4 per cent share.

Seven’s coverage of the cup has reached 14.04 million broadcast viewers so far, plus another 3.4 million on 7plus.

Hoards of fans flocked to live sites across the country to watch the game, which the Matildas lost 3-1.

Thousands packed into Melbourne’s Federation Square to cheer on the women in green and gold, but the exuberance was dampened by unruly young men in the crowd.

Police were constantly trying to ensure fans’ safety, but spectators breached temporary fences multiple times.

More than 50 flares were set off, with some thrown into the crowd.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said she wasn’t aware of anyone being injured but detectives are investigating.

“Overall, it was a challenging night for our members out at Federation Square, where we saw a large, rowdy group of mainly male youths, part of the active supporter groups, discharge and throw a significant number of flares,” she said.

Police fined four males, aged between 16 and 23, more than $960 each for possessing flares and cautioned another 16-year-old male for throwing a flare.

Fans were expected to gather at Federation Square again on Saturday to watch the Matildas take on Sweden in a bid to secure third place in the World Cup.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp suggested the event might not go ahead, or different crowd control measures might have to be used.

“It’s often the actions of a few, unfortunately, that end up ruining the experience for others … (and) that becomes the headline,” Ms Capp said.

“I lament at the idiocy of people that come with flares.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said anyone who used flares at Federation Square should have the book thrown at them and Victoria Police would assess whether it was safe to host Saturday night’s screening there.

However, a few bad apples wouldn’t lead to the site no longer being used to screen major events, he said.

“(Flares) are dangerous and I don’t think those people represent the vast majority of soccer fans, football fans who want to enjoy what is an absolutely spectacular game, the beautiful game,” Mr Andrews said.

Swinburne University of Technology postdoctoral research fellow Kasey Symons said there were concerns within women’s sport about what its success would look like.

Men’s sport was seen as the benchmark, but toxic elements of it and the fan culture surrounding it could be damaging and exclusionary, Dr Symons said.

“Women’s football, through this Women’s World Cup, has become so visible and the culture has been expanded so much that those who might not have been part of that culture are coming in and bringing some of those elements with them that they expect at a sporting space,” she told AAP.

The community wanted men’s sport to take on the good cultural elements of women’s sport, Dr Symons said.

“There’s a lot to be learned about the culture of sport for women’s sport that can have a positive impact on men’s sport because this behaviour (at Federation Square) is unacceptable,” she said.

In NSW, fans endured long delays getting home from Sydney’s Olympic Park on Wednesday night after a suspected act of vandalism threw the rail network into disarray.

Two men aged 47 and 33 have been charged by police.

The Matildas will take on Sweden in the play-off for third place at 5.30pm on Saturday.