The Women’s ODI World Cup 2026 promises to be the most hotly awaited event in the cricket calendar. While the tournament itself is officially set to take place in late 2025, its influence will ripple well beyond into 2026, with enthusiasts, analysts, and teams already warming up for a historical edition. Your go-to guide to everything you might want to know follows.
Women’s ODI World Cup 2026 Schedule & Format
The 13th edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will commence on September 30, 2025, and extend up to November 2, 2025.
Total Matches: 31
Duration: 34 days
Format: Round-robin
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Knockouts: The top 4 teams will qualify for semi-finals
Match Timings:
Most games: 3:00 PM IST (09:30 GMT)
Exception: NZ vs ENG on Oct 26 – 11:00 AM IST (05:30 GMT)
Host Nations & Venues
For the very first time, India and Sri Lanka will host the Women’s ODI World Cup jointly.
Indian Venues:
Guwahati (Barsapara Stadium)
Indore (Holkar Stadium)
Visakhapatnam (ACA-VDCA Stadium)
Navi Mumbai (DY Patil Stadium)
Sri Lankan Venue:
Colombo (R Premadasa Stadium)
Note: All of Pakistan’s matches, semi-final 1, and the final (in case Pakistan makes it to the final) will be played at Colombo. Bengaluru was also under consideration but was removed due to logistical and security issues.
Is India Claiming Home Advantage?
Interestingly, India’s grounds provide little home advantage owing to lack of recent experience:
Indore has no record of hosting a women’s international.
Guwahati has not hosted women’s ODIs.
Visakhapatnam hosted a women’s ODI as recently as 2014.
Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium has hosted T20Is and WPL matches, but no ODIs.
Participating Teams in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026
Eight teams will fight for glory:
Qualified Teams:
India (Host)
Australia
New Zealand
England
Sri Lanka
South Africa
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Notable Absentee:
West Indies are missing out for the first time since 2000, narrowly pipped by Bangladesh in the qualifiers on net run rate (0.013).
What’s New Since the Last Edition?
Women’s ODI cricket has hit record-scoring heights:
300+ totals: 34 times since 2022 (versus 44 previously).
400+ scores: Broken by India and Australia.
Heavy focus on aggressive batting and more extended lineups.
Increased Prize Pool
Total Prize Money: $13.88 million (nearly 4x that in 2022)
All-Female Match Officials:
For the first time ever, all matches will be officiated by women umpires and referees a milestone for gender equality in sports.
High-Profile Matches to Watch:
Sep 30: Australia vs New Zealand (Indore)
Oct 5: India vs Pakistan (Colombo)
Oct 12: India vs Australia (Visakhapatnam)
Oct 19: India vs England (Visakhapatnam)
Oct 22: Australia vs England (Indore)
Oct 25: Australia vs South Africa (Indore)
Oct 26: New Zealand vs England (Guwahati)
Who are the favourites for the tournament?
Australia:
Lost only 4 of their previous 31 ODIs.
Seven-time World Champions.
Most powerful and well-balanced side on paper.
India:
Good run in 2025 with 4 defeats in 14 ODIs.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur feels this team can defeat Australia “on any day”.
England, New Zealand & South Africa:
Each team brings experience and match-winners.
All are potential semi-finalists.
Players to Watch in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026
Batters:
Smriti Mandhana (India) – 4 ODI tons in 2025
Tazmin Brits (South Africa) – Consistent run-machine
Sidra Amin (Pakistan) – In top form
Comebacks:
Sophie Molineux (Australia) – Back from injury, key in spin-friendly conditions
Charlie Dean (England) – Rising star among off-spinners
First-Time World Cup Players:
Pratika Rawal (India) – 6 fifties and a century in only 17 innings, avg 50+
Linsey Smith (England) – ODI five-for on debut
Sadia Iqbal (Pakistan) – Left-arm spin threat
Jemimah Rodrigues (India) – Quite her first ODI World Cup
Veterans Likely Playing Their Last ODI World Cup
Sophie Devine (New Zealand)
Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt (Australia)
Heather Knight (England)
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
Marizanne Kapp (South Africa)
Harmanpreet Kaur (India) – Would be 40 by the next edition
Where to Watch the Women’s ODI World Cup 2026
Region Broadcaster
India JioStar, JioHotstar
UK & Ireland Sky Sports
Australia Amazon Prime Video
New Zealand Sky TV
Pakistan PTV, Ten Sports
Sri Lanka Maharaja TV
USA & Canada Willow TV
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