Big News: T20 World Cup 2026's seven venues along with start date announced, Lord's to host the final

The wait is over as the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026's venues have been announced. The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to get underway on June 12, 2026, and will finally concluded on July 5 at the prestigious Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Alongside Lord's, the showpiece tournament will be hosted at several other prominent venues across England, including Edgbaston in Birmingham, the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, Headingley in Leeds, Old Trafford in Manchester, the Kennington Oval in London, and the County Ground in Bristol.

Women's T20 World Cup 2025's venues announced

The official announcement of the tournament's venues and dates was made today, Thursday, May 1, during a launch event held at Lord’s. The tournament will feature a total of 33 matches played over a span of 24 days. Notably, the upcoming edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup will be the largest ever, with 12 teams participating. Lord's has a history of hosting major women's cricket events, having also been the venue for the final of the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup.

Eight teams have already secured their places in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England, and Australia. The remaining participating teams will be determined through a Qualifiers tournament that is scheduled to take place next year.

Featuring an unprecedented 12 teams, the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is poised to be the most fiercely contested edition of the tournament to date. The expanded field will see the world's best cricketing nations vying for the coveted title.

Eight teams have already directly qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. These include the host nation, England, along with Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. An additional four teams will earn their place through a Qualifier tournament that will be held next year.

The twelve participating teams will be divided into two groups of six for the initial group stage of the competition. Following the group matches, the tournament will proceed with the knockout rounds, culminating in the highly anticipated final. New Zealand enters the tournament as the defending champions, having secured victory in the previous edition by defeating Laura Wolvaardt's South Africa by 32 runs in the final held last October at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India is still in pursuit of their maiden title, having reached the final only once in 2020, where they faced Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"The confirmation of venues represents a defining moment as we build towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. This tournament will bring together the world’s finest players in a celebration of skill, spirit and sportsmanship," ICC chairman Jay Shah said in a statement.

"The United Kingdom's rich diversity has always shown passionate support for all teams, something we witnessed so memorably at past events. The sell-out Women’s Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women’s game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final. As we turn our focus to preparing for the tournament, we are excited by the promise of thrilling T20 action that will not only captivate fans here but also serve as a showcase for cricket’s return on the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028," he added.