ICC Plans to Extend Global Women’s Cricket Tournaments from Next Cycle

On the eve of International Women’s Day, exactly a year after the thumping success of the ICC Women’s World T20, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the expansion of women’s cricket events post the 2023 cycle.

 

Women's World Cup 2021 Trophy
Women’s World Cup 2021 Trophy

 

At present, eight and 10 teams compete in ICC Women’s World Cup and ICC Women’s World T20 respectively. The expansion will mean that more teams will be included to compete in both the aforementioned tournaments from 2026 onwards. This endeavor is a part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to growing the game globally and in a sustainable fashion.

The revised formats will give more teams the chance to compete on the global stage and importantly provides Members with a window to grow the game domestically to challenge internationally as the changes take place.

Manu Sawhney, ICC Chief Executive said, “We have a clear focus and commitment to an ambitious long-term growth plan for the women’s game. We have been building momentum around the women’s game for the last four years investing in global broadcast coverage and marketing to drive fan engagement. The results speak for themselves with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 attracting record numbers, 1.1 billion video views, making it the most-watched women’s cricket event of all time and having 86,174 fans attending the final at the MCG, a record attendance for a women’s cricket event. This decision to expand our women’s events builds on these foundations and allows us to give more member countries greater opportunities to compete on a global stage. This means that more teams will also get the opportunity to compete in the qualification pathways for the respective ICC events over the coming years. I am sure these initiatives will go a long way in helping us achieve our strategic goal of continuing to build strength and depth in the women’s game.”

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The revised structure will be as follows:

Events Year Format
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025

2029

8 teams, 31 matches

10 teams, 48 matches

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

2026

2028

2030

10 teams, 23 matches

12 teams, 33 matches

12 teams, 33 matches

12 teams, 33 matches

ICC Women’s T20 Champions Cup 2027

2031

6 teams, 16 matches

The article was first published on ICC website

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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.

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