The 12-team tournament will kick off in Birmingham on June 12, with hosts England set to play the opening match
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the dates and venues for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to take place in England from June 12 to July 5.
The 12-team tournament will kick off in Birmingham on June 12, with hosts England set to play the opening match. However, the opponent for the curtain-raiser is yet to be confirmed.
The semi-finals will be played at The Oval in London on June 30 and July 2, while the grand final will take place at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 5. This will mark the return of a major women’s cricket final to Lord’s since the memorable 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup final, where England defeated India in front of a full house — a moment that played a key role in the global rise of women’s cricket.
Along with Birmingham, the other four venues selected for the tournament are Old Trafford in Manchester, Headingley in Leeds, the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, and the Edgbaston in Birmingham.
New Zealand will head into the tournament as the defending champions, after their historic title win in the 2024 edition held in the UAE.
So far, eight teams have secured their spots in the 2026 World Cup: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The remaining four teams will be decided through a global qualifier set to take place next year.
The competition will follow a group-stage and knockout format, with two groups of six teams each. The top teams from each group will move on to the semi-finals, leading up to the final at Lord’s.
The upcoming edition builds on the success of the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final in Australia, which saw a record-breaking crowd of 86,174 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the clash between Australia and India.