The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, hosted in England from 12 June to 5 July, will see Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and two qualifiers compete in Group 1. Meanwhile, Group 2 comprises hosts England, defending champions New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and two more qualifying teams. Semi-finals are booked for The Oval, and the grand final is slated for Lord’s.
Spanning 33 matches over 24 days across seven English venues, the tournament expands to 12 teams, up from the 10 that participated in 2023. Alongside The Oval and Lord’s, matches will take place at Old Trafford, Headingley, Southampton, Bristol, and Edgbaston. Games are scheduled for 10.30am, 2.30pm, and 6.30pm local time.
Action kicks off with England taking on Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on 12 June. The next day, defending champions New Zealand face West Indies in Southampton. Concurrently, Australia will meet 2024 finalists South Africa in Manchester. Highlighting Group 1, India will clash with Pakistan at Edgbaston on 14 June.
Significant matches for India include their face-offs against South Africa (21 June) in Manchester and Australia (28 June) at Lord’s. Pakistan plays South Africa (17 June) at Edgbaston and goes head-to-head with Australia (23 June) at Headingley. India’s contest against Australia will conclude the group stages.
In Group 2, England’s fixtures span five venues, beginning with West Indies (24 June) at Lord’s and New Zealand (27 June) at The Oval. Sri Lanka’s matches include New Zealand (16 June) in Southampton and West Indies (21 June) in Bristol.
Semi-final spots await the top two teams from each group, set for 30 June and 2 July, with the ultimate title match at Lord’s on 5 July.
Hosts England alongside the top five teams from the 2024 edition (Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and West Indies) gained automatic qualification, as did Pakistan and Sri Lanka based on their ICC Women’s T20I rankings as of 21 October that year.
The last four teams will emerge from global qualifiers early in 2026, with Bangladesh, Scotland, USA, Nepal, and Thailand already securing places. The final spots will be decided after the Europe, Africa, and East Asia-Pacific qualifiers.
This tournament layout promises an engaging cricket summer with top teams competing for supremacy, honouring both seasoned and emerging talents in the women’s cricket arena.
