London, May 1 (H.S.): The venues for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in England next year have been announced. The entire tournament will take place at seven locations. The final match will be held on July 5, 2026, at the prestigious cricket ground, Lord’s. This announcement was made during a launch event at Lord’s on Thursday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has stated that in addition to Lord’s, the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Headingley, Edgbaston, Hampshire Bowl, The Oval, and Bristol County Ground will also host World Cup matches.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will commence on June 12 and continue for 24 days. During this period, there will be 33 matches, culminating at Lord’s. Top women’s cricket teams from around the world will showcase their abilities, taking steps to bring women’s cricket into the mainstream. This time, 12 teams will participate, with the current champion New Zealand defending their title.
The 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six for the group stage, followed by a knockout round and the final match. The complete schedule for the tournament will be announced soon. Currently, eight countries have already secured their spots, while the remaining four teams will be determined through the women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers next year.
ICC and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials have expressed hope that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will give a new direction to women’s cricket. ICC Chairman Jay Shah stated, This tournament will bring together the best players from around the world and will further increase the growing audience for women’s cricket in England.
ECB CEO Richard Gould remarked, Hosting the final at Lord’s is special. It is one of the world’s most magnificent cricket grounds, and for every cricketer, playing in a World Cup final here is a dream. We see this tournament as a historic moment for women’s cricket, bringing the game to more people.
There has been a continuous rise in the popularity of ICC’s global women’s cricket events. The final of the women’s T20 World Cup held in Melbourne in 2020 saw an attendance of 86,174, which was a record. Following that, tickets for the women’s T20 World Cup finals in Cape Town in 2023 and Dubai in 2024 were also sold out.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
