ICC Expands Women’s World Cup to Ten Teams for 2029 Edition

The International Cricket Council announced the expansion of the Women’s ODI World Cup to ten teams following the success of the 2025 tournament.

The ICC will expand the Women’s ODI World Cup to ten teams for the 2029 edition. This decision aims to build on the success of the recently concluded Women’s World Cup. The move reaffirms the board’s “commitment to the growth of women’s cricket.”

Since 2000, only eight teams have participated in the main tournament. The 2029 edition will feature 48 matches, a significant increase from the 31 games played in the recent World Cup.

The ICC also confirmed the Women’s T20 World Cup next year will be expanded to 12 teams. This is an increase from the 10 teams that featured in the previous edition in the UAE.

“Nearly 300,000 fans watched the event in stadia breaking the record for tournament attendance for any women’s Cricket event,” the ICC release said. “The tournament also witnessed viewership growth and new records being set for on-screen audiences across the world with nearly 500 million viewers in India.”

The ICC board ratified new members for the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee. The appointments include Ashley De Silva, Mithali Raj, Amol Muzumdar, Ben Sawyer, Charlotte Edwards, and Sala Stella Siale-Vaea.

Olympic Cricket Plans

The Board revealed details for cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics. The event will feature 28 games across both men’s and women’s competitions. Each six-team competition will include the top-ranked side from five regions and the host USA. A sixth team will be identified through a qualifier.

The events begin on July 12 at the purpose-built Fairgrounds Stadium outside Los Angeles. Cricket will also feature in the 2026 Asian Games, the 2027 African Games, and the 2027 PanAm Games.

Talks have begun for cricket’s inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta told members he held “meaningful discussions with Brisbane 2032 for cricket’s inclusion in their program.”

Gupta and ICC chair Jay Shah recently met with International Olympic Committee teams in Switzerland. They discussed event delivery, competition formats, and qualification scenarios.

The ICC confirmed it will begin a bidding process for its mobile cricket game. This follows tensions with the World Cricketers’ Association over player image rights.

“The ICC Board confirmed its approval to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for Video Gaming Rights, opening the door for leading global partners to collaborate with the ICC in delivering world-class, digital fan experiences,” the board said in the statement.

The dispute centered on Name, Image and Likeness rights. The WCA claimed the ICC’s game development would breach existing contracts. The ICC decided member boards should deal directly with players regarding these rights. It remains unclear how many boards have secured the necessary rights from their players.

Last Updated on November 8, 2025