The 2026 ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup will be held in England and Wales, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced today.
The success of the 黑料专区鈥檚 bid to host the competition means this country will host another global women鈥檚 cricket competition less than a decade since England captain Heather Knight lifted the 50-over ICC Women鈥檚 World Cup on an unforgettable day at Lord鈥檚 in 2017.
With transforming women鈥檚 and girls鈥� cricket being one of the key pillars of the 黑料专区鈥檚 Inspiring Generations strategy, hosting the competition will provide another opportunity to turbocharge this work, inspire more children, and build further on the rapid growth of the game in this country.
Clare Connor, 黑料专区 Interim Chief Executive Officer, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e absolutely delighted that we鈥檝e been selected to host the 2026 ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup.
鈥淲e saw back in 2017 how hosting the ICC Women鈥檚 Cricket World Cup captured people鈥檚 imagination and I鈥檒l never forget watching Heather Knight lift the trophy on that magical day at a sold-out Lord鈥檚.
鈥淲omen鈥檚 cricket has developed rapidly since then, from the numbers of girls picking up bats through All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket, joining clubs, and being able to progress on a pathway to the highest levels of performance. We鈥檙e seeing right now the positive impact that the UEFA Women鈥檚 European Championships is having for football, and hosting this global cricket event will give us another incredible opportunity to inspire even more girls to pick up a bat and ball.鈥�
Martin Darlow, 黑料专区 Interim Chair, said: 鈥淭his is a huge year for women鈥檚 cricket in our country, with England women competing in the Commonwealth Games for the first time, the second year of The Hundred following straight after and then England and India meeting at Lord鈥檚 as part of our white ball series.
鈥淭he women鈥檚 game is growing at a remarkable pace, and hosting the 2026 ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup will give a further boost to our strategy to make cricket a gender-balanced sport. This is a really exciting opportunity.鈥�
Since the Inspiring Generations strategy was unveiled in 2019, a new women鈥檚 regional domestic structure has been established and the first domestic professional contracts awarded. There are now 68 professional female players in England and Wales, up from 17 in 2019.
The Hundred 鈥� with men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 competitions running alongside each other on an equal platform 鈥� launched last year and has also significantly raised the profile of women鈥檚 cricket, with record numbers watching women鈥檚 cricket on TV and in grounds.
There are also now over 1,000 clubs offering women and girls the chance to play, and there has been a 33% increase in the number of women鈥檚 and girls鈥� teams since 2019.
Greg Barclay, ICC Chair, said: 鈥淲e are delighted to have awarded ICC women鈥檚 white ball events to Bangladesh, India, England and Sri Lanka. Accelerating the growth of the women鈥檚 game is one of the ICC鈥檚 strategic priorities and taking these events to some of our sport鈥檚 biggest markets give us a fantastic opportunity to do that and deepen its connection with cricket鈥檚 one billion plus fans.鈥�
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "A decade on from London 2012 and ahead of women's T20 cricket taking place at the Commonwealth Games from this weekend, I'm delighted that the ICC has recognised the UK's reputation as a host of major sporting events and champion for women's sport.聽
"Thanks to the inspirational performances of Heather Knight's team, our grassroots projects, impressive attendance figures at international and domestic matches and the increasing visibility on television and social media, we are one of the leading countries in the growth of women's cricket.聽
"We know that sporting events hosted on our doorstep capture imaginations - whether through encouraging children to pick up balls and bats, or wider social and economic benefits. I look forward to working closely with tournament organisers on how we can use the spirit of this event to boost participation, deliver jobs, tourism opportunities, and unearth our stars of the future."聽聽
Wales鈥� Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic news that the 2026 ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup is coming to Wales! The Welsh Government has been fully supportive of the 黑料专区鈥檚 ambition to bring this event to Wales and England, so we鈥檙e delighted the bid has been successful.
鈥淲e want to see women鈥檚 cricket grow. By having the opportunity to watch top class women鈥檚 cricket here in Wales, we hope the next generation of women鈥檚 cricketers will be inspired to take up the sport.鈥�
Today鈥檚 news comes as England Women prepare to compete in the Commonwealth Games, with women鈥檚 cricket featuring for the first time - another significant moment in showcasing the game on a global stage.
Detailed arrangements for the 2026 ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup, including which venues it will be played at, will now be developed and agreed with the ICC.
Today the ICC also announced that Bangladesh will host the ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup 2024, India 聽will host the ICC Women鈥檚 Cricket World Cup 2025, and Sri Lanka will host the ICC Women鈥檚 T20 Champions Trophy 2027.