England and Australia are ready for a sold-out ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final at Lord’s, London, on Sunday, July 5. The title match will begin at 3:30 PM local time, with both unbeaten teams aiming to finish the tournament as champions.
The final will also feature plenty of entertainment. International music star Rita Ora will perform before the match from 2:30 PM, and fans have been asked to be in their seats by 2:00 PM so they do not miss the show. After the final, Clean Bandit will perform before the trophy presentation.
Both teams have reached the final without losing a match, but they have taken different approaches during the tournament.
England have mostly kept the same playing XI whenever captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has been fit. The only change came during the group stage when Sophia Dunkley replaced the injured Sciver-Brunt at number three for three matches.
Australia have taken a different route by using 14 of the 15 players in their squad. They have also used as many as eight bowlers in a single match, showing the strength and flexibility of their squad.
That leaves Australia captain Sophie Molineux with an important selection decision before the final. Leg-spinner Alana King, who has an excellent record against England, has not played Australia’s last two matches but could return for Sunday’s final.
“We will definitely look at that (King playing),” Molineux said. “The unpredictability is a big part of T20 cricket, but at the same time you have to back and trust what we have got. We have got eight or nine bowlers in our 11 at the moment. Kingy is certainly in the frame, and we will have a look and make sure we make the right call on that front.”
England are also expected to keep faith in the side that has brought them this far. There are no fitness concerns around Sciver-Brunt after she recovered from a calf injury using several recovery methods, including seven hours of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance therapy. She returned in the semi-final against South Africa and played a match-winning knock of 75 to help England reach the final.
Young bowlers Issy Wong, Lauren Filer and Tilly Corteen-Coleman are the only England players yet to play a match in this tournament. Sciver-Brunt believes England have enough quality to challenge Australia and says the team has prepared for every possible situation.
“We’ve got a bowling group that has the skills to bowl anywhere. The batting lineup has been explosive at different moments, in the powerplay, at the death or in the middle. I suppose it’s two teams that have played against each other a lot, and so we expect to know the opposition very well, and they’ll know us very well.
“I guess when it comes down to it, it’s about who can deliver their skills better on the day. The message has been to enjoy yourself and stick to the skills that we’ve been working on. If we do need to go to a different plan, for the bowlers, they’ve been practising it throughout the tournament and will be ready to execute that on the pitch.
“I guess it’s just about staying in the moment and knowing that we have Plan B, C, D to turn to if we need to.”
The two teams last met in a T20 International during the 2025 Women’s Ashes in Australia, a series Australia won 16-0. However, both sides have changed since then. Charlotte Edwards is now England’s head coach and Sciver-Brunt has replaced Heather Knight as captain. Australia are also under new leadership after Sophie Molineux took over as captain from Alyssa Healy earlier this year.
Neither captain is thinking too far ahead despite the chance to lift the trophy.
Molineux said, “If we win tomorrow, there will be a chance to sit back and reflect, but we still have a job to do and that is playing our best game of cricket. It has been a whirlwind captaining the team, it has been amazing so far, and I have really enjoyed it.”
Sciver-Brunt also wants her players to enjoy the special occasion while staying focused on the job.
“It is going to be a big occasion, but it is why we have done everything we have done so far, everything we have worked on to try and get us to this point. We acknowledge that and try and take in as much of the day as we can, be present and enjoy ourselves.”
With a packed Lord’s expected, two unbeaten teams and the Women’s T20 World Cup trophy on the line, cricket fans are set for a memorable final between two of the best teams in the world.
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