The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially revealed the schedule for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which will be held from September 30 to November 2. The tournament will take place across five venues in India and Sri Lanka, featuring eight teams.
Hosts India will kick off the tournament with a match against Sri Lanka at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on September 30.
Defending champions Australia will begin their campaign against New Zealand on October 1 at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The following day, Bangladesh will face Pakistan in Colombo.
Bengaluru will host its second match of the tournament on October 3, as 2022 runners-up England take on South Africa in the final opening match.
The round-robin stage of the tournament will run until October 26, with the final day of group stage matches featuring England versus New Zealand in Guwahati and India hosting Bangladesh in Bengaluru.
The top four teams from the round-robin stage will progress to the semi-finals, scheduled for October 29 and 30, before the Final on November 2. The semi-final matchups will see first place facing fourth, while second plays third.
In a statement, ICC Chairman Jay Shah said, “The confirmation of the schedule only builds further excitement and anticipation for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.”
“With the eight best teams in the women’s game descending on India, alongside incredible venues and what promises to be record-breaking crowds, we are all looking forward to an unforgettable tournament,” Shah added.
Also Read: Pakistan to play in Sri Lanka
Pakistan is set to play its matches in Sri Lanka following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for February-March in Pakistan.
Last month, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had clarified that Pakistan’s Women’s Cricket Team would not be travelling to India to play the World Cup.
Naqvi said that an agreement had already been made regarding this decision, stating, “India is the host, and they will decide where to play, but we are ready to play at any neutral venue other than India.”
The statement came amid ongoing tensions over bilateral cricket ties. India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, and played its matches in Dubai, a model previously used during the 2023 Asia Cup.
Read More: ‘Women’s team not to play in India’
Following months of negotiations, both boards agreed on a hybrid model to resolve the deadlock. According to ESPNcricinfo, the model allows India to play at neutral venues for ICC tournaments hosted by Pakistan, and vice versa.
“This agreement applied to the 2025 men’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, the 2025 women’s ODI World Cup in India, and the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka,” the report said. Under the arrangement, neutral venues are proposed by the host board and must be approved by the ICC.
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