The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 set records in viewership, attendance, engagement and impact. Across 33 matches, it generated 471 million viewing hours, making it the most-watched ICC Women’s T20 World Cup ever. This was 156 percent higher than 184 million in 2024.
India and Pakistan’s group-stage match in Birmingham drew more than 77 million viewing hours globally, with current indications suggesting it is the most-watched women’s T20 match ever. Australia vs. India, South Africa vs. India and Bangladesh vs. India recorded 54 million, 51 million and 42 million viewing hours respectively.
The tournament drew record crowds. 245,815 spectators attended across 25 matchdays, over 100,000 above the previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup attendance record. The Final at Lord’s drew 28,887 people, setting a record for the largest women’s cricket crowd in the UK. On Sky Sports, it became the most-watched ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with 18.2 million viewing hours. England matches averaged 381,000 viewers, a 69 percent increase, while the Final reached 678,000.
The event had an impact. An independent Nielsen assessment found $93.8 million in impact for the United Kingdom, including direct and secondary economic impact and media value for host cities. More than 13,000 full- and part-time roles were generated or supported in the UK. Nielsen research showed social impact. Among 500 parents of girls aged 7-15, 81 percent said it helped change the perception that cricket is only a sport for men. Among 500 women aged 16-30 surveyed, 73 percent agreed.
Research showed interest among girls. 81 percent of young girls’ parents said the tournament increased their daughter’s interest in joining a cricket club or academy, while 80 percent believed it would have a positive impact on women’s sport in England.
ICC Chairman, Mr. Jay Shah, said, “The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has made a powerful statement about the future of the women’s game. This tournament delivered record crowds, viewership, reach and engagement, and demonstrated what is possible when women’s cricket is given the platform, investment and belief it deserves.” He praised the players, ECB, Members, broadcasters, commercial partners, ICC staff and volunteers.
ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta highlighted nearly 250,000 in-stadia attendees, almost 500 million global viewing hours and more than four billion digital video views. He said, “We deliberately widened access to the event across platforms, cultures, languages, interest segments and markets, combining world-class broadcast coverage with free streaming, digital-first distribution, creator-led storytelling, pop culture plug-ins and new ways for fans to interact with the game.
“ICC events must continue to serve as platforms that deepen and widen fandom, elevate our athletes and create cultural, commercial and social impact around the game.”
Tournament content generated 3.2 billion views across ICC digital platforms, a near 250 percent increase on the previous edition. The ICC Creator Club brought together more than 80 creators from nine countries, producing more than 2,000 posts, 1.1 billion+ views and 50 million engagements. The JioStar-ICC content creator stream contributed 600 million views.
Jay Shah added, “This is not the end point of our ambition; it is the platform for what comes next. The ICC will continue to invest in women’s cricket, expand opportunity, strengthen pathways and take the game to more fans, more communities and more markets around the world. The success of this tournament gives us even greater confidence in the future we are building.”
The tournament combined record viewing, attendance, digital engagement, economic and social impact. Its 471 million viewing hours, 245,815 spectators, $93.8 million UK impact and billions of digital views created new benchmarks for women’s cricket. The figures showed its reach across audiences, communities and markets.
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