2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup: Overview and Key Details

The 2025 edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup marks the 13th occurrence of this prestigious tournament, set to unfold from September 30 to November 2, 2025. Fans can catch every match live on Sky Sports this autumn, with the action primarily taking place in India and Sri Lanka.

Tournament Schedule

The opening match features the two co-hosts in Guwahati, with England commencing their campaign against South Africa on October 3 at 10:30 AM. The tournament’s final is scheduled to be held in either Navi Mumbai or Colombo.

Match Venues

Matches will be hosted across five venues: four in India (Guwahati, Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and Indore) and one in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Due to ongoing political tensions, Pakistan’s matches will occur exclusively in Colombo. Should Pakistan advance to the semi-finals, their game will also be held there rather than in Guwahati.

Competing Teams

The tournament features eight teams:

• India (hosts)
• Australia
• England
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh

The teams qualified based on their rankings in the ICC Women’s Championship and through a qualifying event that included various international squads.

Competition Format

The World Cup follows a league format where each team competes once against the others. The top four teams will progress to the semi-finals, with the first-placed team facing the fourth-placed team and the second playing against the third. Winners from these matches will advance to the final on November 2.

Prize Money

The champions of the tournament will be awarded £3.3 million, surpassing the prize money awarded to the male champions in the 2023 edition. The total prize pool for this year’s competition reaches £10.26 million, a significant increase from £2.59 million in the last women’s tournament held in 2022.

Match Officials

This edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup is historic as it features an entirely female panel of match officials, which includes 14 umpires and four match referees, highlighting the increasing representation of women in cricket.

Historical Context

Understanding the legacy of the Women’s Cricket World Cup enhances the anticipation of the 2025 event. The tournament has seen various champions over the years:

• 1973: England
• 1978: Australia
• 1982: Australia
• 1988: Australia
• 1993: England
• 1997: Australia
• 2000: New Zealand
• 2005: Australia
• 2009: England
• 2013: Australia
• 2017: England
• 2022: Australia

As the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup approaches, the spirit and excitement surrounding the tournament promise to make it a historic event for both players and fans alike.