Cricket West Indies (CWI) will host the 2026 Rising Stars Women’s Under-19 Championship across Antigua from August 8 to 15, bringing together the region’s most promising young female cricketers for a week of high-quality T20 cricket, talent identification and development. Barbados, the reigning champions, will seek to add another regional Under-19 title after winning the Men’s 50-Over Championship in July.
Teams representing Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, the Windward Islands, the Leeward Islands and Guyana will compete in a single round-robin preliminary phase. Each side will play the other once over five rounds, with the top two advancing to the Championship Final. The remaining teams will contest placement matches to determine the final standings.
The return to the T20 format is particularly significant. Last year’s championship was played over 30 overs, but CWI has aligned this edition with the format of the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in January and February 2027. The tournament will therefore serve as an important early assessment of players who could form the core of the West Indies’ next global age-group squad.
“With the 2027 Under-19 Women’s World Cup quickly approaching, the Championship provides a perfect opportunity for us to identify the region’s top talent with the goal of building a competitive squad for the global tournament,” CWI High-Performance Manager Dwain Gill said.
The competition will also launch an intensive development phase. Immediately after the final, 20 players will remain in Antigua for a two-week high-performance camp at CWI Headquarters, Coolidge Cricket Ground, from August 16 to 30. Selection will consider match performances, technical ability, age eligibility, tactical awareness, temperament, competitiveness, fitness and squad balance.
Gill stressed that the programme is designed to prepare players for more than the demands of a single tournament. “The Rising Stars Under-19 Women’s Championship is a critical part of that journey. It provides our most talented young cricketers with the opportunity to compete, learn and grow in an environment that reflects the standards required to advance to the next level.”
Alongside the cricket, the young athletes will take part in sessions on nutrition, mental and women’s health, digital presence, anti-doping and anti-corruption. The broader programme reflects CWI’s effort to develop confident, informed and professionally prepared players as women’s cricket continues to expand globally.
Fixtures:
Round 1 – Saturday, August 8
Leeward Islands vs Windward Islands — Liberta Sports Club, 9:00 AM
Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica — Bethesda Playing Field, 10:00 AM
Barbados vs Guyana — Liberta Sports Club, 2:00 PM
Round 2 – Sunday, August 9
Leeward Islands vs Jamaica — Liberta Sports Club, 9:00 AM
Barbados vs Windward Islands — Bethesda Playing Field, 10:00 AM
Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana — Liberta Sports Club, 2:00 PM
Round 3 – Tuesday, August 11
Barbados vs Leeward Islands — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 9:00 AM
Trinidad and Tobago vs Windward Islands — Liberta Sports Club, 10:00 AM
Jamaica vs Guyana — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 2:00 PM
Round 4 – Wednesday, August 12
Leeward Islands vs Trinidad and Tobago — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 9:00 AM
Jamaica vs Barbados — Liberta Sports Club, 10:00 AM
Guyana vs Windward Islands — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 2:00 PM
Round 5 – Friday, August 14
Windward Islands vs Jamaica — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 9:00 AM
Leeward Islands vs Guyana — Liberta Sports Club, 10:00 AM
Barbados vs Trinidad and Tobago — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 2:00 PM
Final and Placement Round – Saturday, August 15
Third vs fourth — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 9:00 AM
Fifth vs sixth — Liberta Sports Club, 10:00 AM
Championship Final: first vs second — Coolidge Cricket Ground, 2:00 PM.
All matches will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel, offering supporters an opportunity to follow the next generation of Caribbean women cricketers.
(Quotes sourced from Cricket West Indies Press Release)
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