In a major boost to women’s cricket in South Asia, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced that Nepal will host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier. The tournament is scheduled to run from 12 January to 2 February 2026, featuring ten teams battling for four coveted spots at the main event in England and Wales.
Matches will be held at two iconic venues in Kathmandu — Lower Mulpani Cricket Stadium and Upper Mulpani Cricket Stadium — over a 21-day cricketing spectacle.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑵𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑰𝑪𝑪 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍.
Teams, Format, and Road to the Main Tournament
The qualifier will include Bangladesh and Ireland, who have already secured their places by participating in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, which saw New Zealand emerge victorious in Dubai.
Other qualified teams include:
- Thailand and Nepal from the Asia region
- USA as the representative from the Americas
Additional teams will come from regional qualifiers — two each from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and one each from East Asia-Pacific and the Americas — rounding off the ten-team lineup.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚,” 𝒂𝒏 𝑰𝑪𝑪 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅.
The format includes:
- Two groups of five teams
- A Super Six stage
- A grand Final to determine the final standings
The full match schedule will be released soon, as excitement builds for the event.
Main ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Dates and Details
The main event will be held in England and Wales from 12 June to 5 July 2026. The expanded tournament will host 12 international teams across seven top-class venues, including:
- Old Trafford (Manchester)
- Headingley (Leeds)
- Hampshire Bowl (Southampton)
- Bristol County Ground
A total of 33 matches will take place over 24 days. India and Australia are considered strong contenders, while the White Ferns (New Zealand) will aim to defend their 2024 title.
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