The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 begins September in Guwahati with eight teams in fray
Australia are the defending champions and the overwhelming favourites to win the tournament
Check everything you need to know about the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 marks a return to the Indian subcontinent after more than a decade. Eight teams are vying for supremacy in a format that rewards consistency and nerve.
Starting September 30, across five venues in India and Sri Lanka, it will pit the finest talents in women's cricket against each other.
Australia remain the benchmark, England and New Zealand the perennial challengers. India, are the team with rising expectations, will look to take home advantage, while the absence of the West Indies -- edged out by net run rate -- tells a sobering story of cricket's decline in the Caribbean.
Here's all you need to know about the tournament:
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Teams - How They Qualified
Eight teams will compete in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The top five teams from the ICC Women's Championship qualified directly, while Bangladesh and Pakistan earned their spots through the Qualifier held in Lahore.
The West Indies missed out narrowly, finishing behind Bangladesh on net run rate -- by a margin of just 0.013. This marks their first absence from the tournament since 2000.
Defending champions And Most Successful Teams
Australia enter as defending champions, having won the 2022 edition and seven titles overall. Their consistency in ODIs remains unmatched.
England, with four titles, remain strong contenders, while New Zealand's sole triumph came in 2000. India, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are yet to win the tournament, though India's recent form, squad depth and home advantage could shift that narrative.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Format
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 follows a round-robin format with no groups. Each team plays seven matches in the league stage.
The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals, where the first-ranked team faces the fourth, and the second plays the third. The winners will then meet in the final on November 2.
A total of 31 matches, including the knockouts, will be played across 34 days.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Venues
Five venues will host matches: Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam, and Navi Mumbai in India, and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo are being considered for the final. Pakistan's matches will be held exclusively in Colombo, following the hybrid model agreed upon by the BCCI and PCB for the India vs Pakistan games.
Bengaluru was initially listed but later removed due to logistical concerns.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Must-Match Matches
The tournament kicks off on September 30 with an India vs Sri Lanka clash in Guwahati.
Other key fixtures include Australia vs New Zealand on October 1 in Indore, India vs Pakistan on October 5 in Colombo, and India vs Australia on October 12 in Visakhapatnam.
England vs India on October 19 and Australia vs England on October 22 are expected to be pivotal. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 29 and 30, with the final on November 2.
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
| 30-Sep-25 | India vs Sri Lanka | Guwahati | 3:00 PM IST |
| 1-Oct-25 | Australia vs New Zealand | Indore | 3:00 PM IST |
| 2-Oct-25 | England vs Bangladesh | Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM IST |
| 3-Oct-25 | South Africa vs Pakistan | Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 4-Oct-25 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | Guwahati | 3:00 PM IST |
| 5-Oct-25 | India vs Pakistan | Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 6-Oct-25 | England vs South Africa | Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM IST |
| 7-Oct-25 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM IST |
| 8-Oct-25 | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka | Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 9-Oct-25 | India vs England | Indore | 3:00 PM IST |
| 10-Oct-25 | Australia vs Bangladesh | Guwahati | 3:00 PM IST |
| 11-Oct-25 | South Africa vs New Zealand | Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM IST |
| 12-Oct-25 | India vs Australia | Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM IST |
| 13-Oct-25 | Pakistan vs England | Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 14-Oct-25 | Sri Lanka vs South Africa | Guwahati | 3:00 PM IST |
| 15-Oct-25 | Bangladesh vs Pakistan | Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 16-Oct-25 | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | Indore | 3:00 PM IST |
| 17-Oct-25 | Australia vs South Africa | Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM IST |
| 18-Oct-25 | England vs Sri Lanka | Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM IST |
| 19-Oct-25 | India vs New Zealand | Guwahati | 3:00 PM IST |
| 20-Oct-25 | Bangladesh vs South Africa | Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM IST |
| 21-Oct-25 | Australia vs Pakistan | Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 22-Oct-25 | England vs New Zealand | Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM IST |
| 23-Oct-25 | India vs Bangladesh | Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM IST |
| 29-Oct-25 | Semi-final 1 | Guwahati or Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
| 30-Oct-25 | Semi-final 2 | Navi Mumbai | 3:00 PM IST |
| 2-Nov-25 | Final | Navi Mumbai or Colombo | 3:00 PM IST |
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Warm-up Matches
Warm-up games are being played from September 25 to 28. Each team is scheduled to play two matches, except Australia. These matches will not carry official ODI or List A status. India A also played a warm-up fixture against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Squads And Captains
All the participating teams have named their respective squads. Changes are permitted only after approval from the ICC Technical Committee.
Captains include Alyssa Healy for Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur for India, Nat Sciver-Brunt for England, and Sophie Devine for New Zealand. Several senior players, like Devine, Healy, Bates, Kapp, Athapaththu, and Heather Knight, may be playing their final World Cup.
Australia
Alyssa Healy (captain), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
Bangladesh
Nigar Sultana Joty (captain), Nahida Akter, Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider Jhelik, Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Fariha Islam Trisna, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Nishita Akter Nishi, Sumaiya Akter.
England
Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
India
Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice captain), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.
Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare
New Zealand
Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu.
Pakistan
Fatima Sana (captain), Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (vice captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah.
Reserves: Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar.
South Africa
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon.
Reserve: Miane Smit
Sri Lanka
Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi De Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Imesha Dulani, Dewmi Vihanga, Piumi Wathsala, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodani, Malki Madara, Achini Kulasooriya.
Reserve: Inoshi Fernando
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Prize Money
The ICC has announced a record prize pool of USD 13.88 million, nearly triple that of the previous edition. The winning team will receive USD 4.48 million, surpassing even the men's World Cup prize from 2023.
How To Watch ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025?
In India, ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 matches will be available on JioStar and the JioHotstar app. Sky Sports will cover the UK and Ireland, Amazon Prime Video will stream in Australia, and Sky TV will handle New Zealand.
Viewers in Pakistan can tune in via PTV and Ten Sports, while Maharaja TV will cover Sri Lanka. In North America, Willow TV will stream the matches.
For regions without a dedicated broadcaster, ICC.tv will offer global streaming access.
