NEW DELHI (INDIA) – The International Cricket Council said on Monday it would have two more teams as addition to both the one-day and Twenty20 editions of the women’s World Cup from 2026. This move has ben announced as part of its plans to expand the women’s game.
The Twenty20 World Cup in 2026 and the two subsequent editions would have 12 teams, the ICC said in a statement on International Women’s Day. The four previous editions have had 10 teams.
The 50-overs World Cup in 2029 would see itself change into a 10-team tournament.
ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said after sharing the post-2023 cycle of events, “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 ICC also introduced a six-team women’s T20 Champions Cup tournament, likely to be held in 2027 and 2031.
The announcement comes a year after Meg Lanning’s Australia outperformed India in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup.
The tournament in Australia also garnered record television numbers, which made it the most watched women’s cricket event of all time.
Sawhney said, “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.”
New Zealand will be hosting the next ODI World Cup, with eight teams, in 2022. The tournament could not be held this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.