ICC unveils 2025 Women's cricket World Cup schedule

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the complete schedule for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, confirming that the tournament will begin on 30 September and run until 2 November across five cities in India and Sri Lanka.

Hosts India will face Sri Lanka in the opening match at Bengaluru, while defending champions Australia will begin their title defence against T20 World Cup winners and Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on 1 October in Indore.

The eight-team tournament will follow a single round-robin format, with each team playing the others once. The top four sides will advance to the semi-finals. Matches will be played in Bengaluru, Vizag, Indore, Guwahati, and Colombo.

One semi-final will be held in Bengaluru, while the other is scheduled for either Colombo or Guwahati. The final will take place on 2 November, with Bengaluru and Colombo shortlisted as potential venues.

Teams will also play two warm-up matches each, beginning on 24 September. India is set to take on 2022 runners-up England in a warm-up clash in Bengaluru, followed by a fixture against South Africa on 27 September in Guwahati.

The 2025 edition marks the 13th installment of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, which was first held in 1973. Australia, who secured their seventh title in 2022, qualified automatically by topping the ICC Women’s Championship standings.

Joining them through direct qualification were England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and hosts India.

The final two spots were claimed by Pakistan and Bangladesh, who finished in the top two of the Women's World Cup Qualifier held in April.