Women’s cricket is flying high right now, with major competitions taking place in the UK helping to further boost the wave of momentum the game already had. A combination of the return of the T20 World Cup followed by the bombastic The Hundred helped to set British records across the board.
Attendances have long been the focus for the ECB, and now, they’re seeing the fruits of their labour, while major broadcasters are being rewarded for their faith in women’s cricket to collect substantial audiences. Best of all, the official figures don’t even tell the whole story.
Hundreds of Thousands in Attendance
There’s a fair contingent of cricket fans and cricketers who still aren’t fond of the newest, shortest form of the sport, which is fair enough. However, it’s tough to overstate the impact The Hundred has had on boosting the women’s game and welcoming new fans to the sport.
Last year, the ECB reported that the first five years of the competition welcomed over 2.5 million fans. Of that, 1.5 million were in attendance for women’s matches. In 2025 alone, the global record for total attendance was broken with 349,401 people coming to watch the women’s competition.
A slight caveat to this would be that, for some time, fans could buy day tickets to watch the women’s and men’s fixtures on the same day and the same ticket. Even so, the global record being broken in 2025 still marks an incredible achievement. For the T20 World Cup, attendance figures also remained strong.
The 25 matches welcomed 245,815 fans to the stands, averaging just over 9,800 per game. Within that, the biggest crowd for a women’s game held in the UK set a new bar, with the final welcoming 28,887 fans. MCG records were broken in the red ball game, too, including the record for cumulative attendance at a test match – now 37,846.
Following Along at Home
The T20 World Cup in the UK was locked behind a paywall for viewers. People had to subscribe to satellite TV provider Sky or get a month from their online streaming service. Even so, the sports broadcaster reported over 15 million viewer hours during this year’s epic showcase of short-form cricket.
Even shorter-form cricket also continued to grow among home audiences. Being shown on Sky and the BBC, The Hundred saw its average broadcast audience grow once again. This year, it saw a 7.5 per cent bump, while other channels of engagement, like social media channels, saw a 36 per cent growth bump.
This is an important element to note as fandom and following go well beyond stadiums and TVs these days, as shown by the popularity of online casino games for real money featuring sport. Football games like Goal Goal Goal! remain a hit, and in the live game section, Sports Arena keeps players in the loop while they game.
It’s because of this that The Hundred is seen to have won over more and more fans by creating an immersive app. Not only does it provide the main way for using tickets, but it also delivers in-ground activities, interactive maps, and games for prizes. It all helps to keep people engaged beyond the core stats and figures.
With The Hundred a staple of the cricket calendar and interest remaining high in the England team, women’s cricket will undoubtedly continue to surge next season as well.
Loves all things female cricket