The women’s cricket landscape is evolving with new tournaments, expanded championships, and the return of Test matches, setting the stage for exciting competitions.
The landscape of women’s cricket is undergoing a substantial transformation as the Future Tours Programme for the years 2025 to 2029 is set to reshape international fixtures and marquee tournaments. Notably, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is scheduled to occupy a significant window in January and February starting from 2026. This strategic scheduling has led Cricket Australia to adjust its women’s cricket calendar, postponing its marquee summer fixtures from mid-January to February and March. This change is intended to prevent overlap with the WPL, which has garnered immense popularity and financial backing, thus becoming the most lucrative women’s franchise league in cricket. Consequently, the 2024-25 women’s Ashes series, commencing on January 12, becomes the last international cricket event hosted by Australia in January until 2029.
Following the WPL, India will tour Australia in January and February 2026 for a comprehensive series that includes one Test match, three One Day Internationals (ODIs), and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). This tour marks a crucial engagement in the new schedule, reflecting the prioritization of women’s international cricket alongside franchise tournaments.
In an expansion of competitive opportunities, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has increased the Women’s ODI Championship to 11 teams by incorporating Zimbabwe. This decision follows the addition of Bangladesh and Ireland in the current cycle, highlighting a growing recognition of women’s cricket across more nations. With this expansion, all ICC Full Members, except Afghanistan—which does not have a women’s team—are now represented in the championship. The format allows for each country to compete against four teams at home and four away during a three-year cycle. Zimbabwe is set to make its ODI Championship debut by hosting South Africa, the West Indies, Ireland, and Sri Lanka, while also embarking on tours to India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
A critical dynamic in the new Future Tours Programme ensures that India and Pakistan will engage exclusively in world tournaments, with no bilateral series scheduled between them. This decision underscores the historical and political sensitivities surrounding matches between the two nations, but also provides a structured competitive framework for other member nations.
To further bolster competitive readiness for international tournaments, the inclusion of tri-series is an exciting addition to the women’s cricket landscape. Various teams will have the opportunity to compete in these preparatory formats leading up to ICC events. For instance, ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled for 2026, England will host a tri-series featuring India and New Zealand. In a similar vein, Ireland will facilitate a tri-series with Pakistan and the West Indies. Other members, including Sri Lanka and the West Indies, have also planned to host tri-series in the years leading up to 2028.
A significant innovation is the introduction of a T20 Champions Trophy for women, which is slated to take place in Sri Lanka in 2027. This new tournament is part of the ICC’s overarching strategy to ensure that women’s cricket has at least one global tournament each year. The competition will feature six teams vying for the title over 16 matches. Consequently, in the 12-month period encompassing 2027 and the subsequent tournaments, the women’s cricket calendar will see three global events: the T20 Champions Trophy, the LA Olympics in August 2028, and the T20 World Cup in September 2028. This effectively increases the number of senior women’s ICC events in the new programme to five, including two T20 World Cups (set for 2026 and 2028) and two ODI World Cups (scheduled for 2025 and 2029).
The ODI World Cup will expand significantly, featuring ten teams competing in 48 matches beginning in 2029, up from the previous format that involved eight teams and 31 matches. Additionally, the T20 World Cup will see an increase in participation, expanding from ten to twelve teams and thus boosting the number of matches from 23 to 33 during the tournament in 2026.
The women’s Test cricket landscape is also set to evolve, with West Indies returning to the format for the first time in over two decades. The West Indies will host a Test series against Australia in March 2026 as part of a multi-format series, followed by matches against England at home in April 2027 and a Test in South Africa planned for December 2028. The last Test match played by the West Indies women’s team occurred in 2003-04 against Pakistan, during which they participated in only 12 Tests. In parallel, India will engage in Test matches, facing off against Australia and South Africa in overseas conditions in 2026 while also hosting Australia and England later in the FTP cycle.
Equally significant is South Africa’s hosting of Australia for a Test match for the first time in March-April 2027, following their recent tour to Australia, in which South Africa played only their second women’s Test in nearly ten years. This updated Future Tours Programme culminates in 2029 with the staging of the ODI World Cup, although the specific venue for this major event remains to be confirmed.
This unfolding framework signifies an unprecedented period for women’s cricket, presenting enhanced opportunities for broader participation, competitive structure, and global visibility. As these developments progress, they offer an exciting prospect for fans and players alike, fostering new rivalries and elevating the profile of women’s cricket on the international stage.
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