ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Schedule, Match Dates, Host, and Groups
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is set to be the ninth-ever event. It is scheduled to be held in Bangladesh from 3 to 20 October 2024. In Australia is the reigning champion, having defeated South Africa in the last tournament’s final.
The first edition of the tournament was held in 2009 in England. The winner was the tournament’s host, for whom this was the only victory in this competition. The most titled team is Australia. They have won the championship six times. England and West Indies have one more win each.
The first three tournaments had eight teams each, but this number has increased to ten since 2014. The tournament in Bangladesh will be the last one with 10 squads. The number of participants will increase to 12 from the next edition in 2026 in England.
Australia, Bangladesh, India and England are favorites for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
The Indian women’s cricket team has participated in all eight editions of this tournament since 2009. The highest result was the 2020 final.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Qualifiers
There will be 10 teams participating in the tournament in Bangladesh. The host team is a qualifier for the tournament as host. Six teams – Australia, New Zealand, India, England, South Africa and West Indies – qualified for the tournament due to their results in the previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Pakistan got a ticket to the tournament as the next highest T20 score by the women’s team, which did not have a direct entry to the championship. As of February 2023, the Pakistan squad was rated seventh in the world rankings. The only teams above them were those that automatically qualified for the tournament.
The remaining participants passed through the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 qualifiers. 46 countries participated in the regional qualifying process to enter the global selection stages. Thanks to it, two more teams – Sri Lanka and Scotland – made it to the tournament.
Below is the list of all tournament participants:
| Teams | Qualification method |
| Bangladesh | As Host |
| England, India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies | As Top six teams from the previous tournament, excluding the hosts |
| Pakistan | As with the Highest ranking among teams that did not have direct entry into the tournament |
| Scotland, Sri Lanka | As Successful qualification through selecting matches |
If we look back at the tournament qualification in the background of Scotland and Sri Lanka, there are a few episodes worth noting.
In the final qualification stage, 10 teams from all over the world participated. They were split into two groups of 5 each. The participants played one match against each of their group rivals. The top 2 teams from each group progressed to the semi-finals.
Scotland and Sri Lanka were in the same qualification group. Sri Lanka beat the Scottish by 2 points and finished in first place. In the semi-finals, Scotland faced their neighbor Ireland, while Sri Lanka came up against the UAE. The winners of the semi-finals automatically qualified for the World Cup in Bangladesh.
Scotland won by 8 wickets in a tough encounter with Ireland. And Sri Lanka had a tough time against the UAE, winning by 15 wickets. The final match between Scotland and Sri Lanka was unimportant as both teams had already guaranteed participation in the Women’s World Cup 2024. In the deciding game, Sri Lanka won by 68 points. The team was placed in Group A, which included Australia, India, New Zealand, and Pakistan. Accordingly, second-placed Scotland went to Group B with England, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the West Indies.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Fixtures and Match Dates
The tournament in Bangladesh kicks off on 3 October with the opening match between England and South Africa. The group stage will continue till 14 October.
Here is a list of all the matches in the group stage:
| Date | Group | Game | Location |
| 3 October, 3:00 pm | В | England – South Africa | Dhaka |
| 3 October, 7:00 pm | В | Bangladesh – Scotland | Dhaka |
| 4 October, 3:00 pm | А | Australia – Sri Lanka | Sylhet |
| 4 October, 7:00 pm | А | India – New Zealand | Sylhet |
| 5 October, 3:00 pm | В | South Africa – West Indies | Dhaka |
| 5 October, 7:00 pm | В | Bangladesh – England | Dhaka |
| 6 October, 3:00 pm | А | New Zealand – Sri Lanka | Sylhet |
| 6 October, 7:00 pm | А | India – Pakistan | Sylhet |
| 7 October, 7:00 pm | В | West Indies – Scotland | Dhaka |
| 8 October, 7:00 pm | А | Australia – Pakistan | Sylhet |
| 9 October, 3:00 pm | В | Bangladesh – West Indies | Dhaka |
| 9 October, 7:00 pm | А | India – Sri Lanka | Sylhet |
| 10 October, 7:00 pm | В | South Africa – Scotland | Dhaka |
| 11 October, 3:00 pm | А | Australia – New Zealand | Sylhet |
| 11 October, 7:00 pm | А | Pakistan – Sri Lanka | Sylhet |
| 12 October, 7:00 pm | В | England – West Indies | Dhaka |
| 12 October, 7:00 pm | В | Bangladesh – South Africa | Dhaka |
| 13 October, 3:00 pm | А | New Zealand – Pakistan | Sylhet |
| 13 October, 7:00 pm | А | Australia – India | Sylhet |
| 14 October, 7:00 pm | В | England – Scotland | Dhaka |
Two semi-finals and a final as playoff games will be played from 17 October.
The final match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2024 is scheduled for 20 October at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Host
This year’s tournament will be in Bangladesh. The organizers’ choice is entirely predictable, as this sport is trendy in the country. Their national teams, both men’s and women’s, regularly participate in significant events.
This is not the first time Bangladesh has hosted such a big cricket tournament. 2014, the country organized two significant events: the Men’s T20 World Cup and the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Two stadiums will be the venue for all the matches: the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka (capacity of about 25,000) and the International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet (capacity of about 18,500).
The Dhaka stadium will host all Group B matches, one semi-final, and the final. The stadium in Sylhet will house all Group A matches and one semi-final.
The tournament organizers in Bangladesh are confident that they can hold the tournament at the highest level, as they already have the relevant experience. Also, the sports facilities’ infrastructure is in good condition and requires only cosmetic reconstructions.
Only two teams—England and Australia—have won the home championships in the tournament’s history. The English celebrated their success in 2009, and the Australians in the memorable 2020 when they beat India. Bangladesh is hosting the Women’s World Cup 2024, and it is expected that the tournament will be one of the most attended in recent years.
Bangladesh has previously hosted other major international competitions, including the Men’s and Women’s World Cup, providing a wealth of experience in hosting such formats.
Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Groups and Format
All 10 participants will be divided into two groups of 5. In the first stage, the teams will play one match against each of their group opponents. The top teams from each group will advance to the second stage of the tournament. Then, the teams will play one match in the semi-finals, and the winners will play for the champion title in the final game.
The team will be awarded 2 points for winning each match. At the first stage of the tournament, the following groups are formed:
| Group А |
| Australia |
| India |
| New Zealand |
| Pakistan |
| Sri Lanka |
Australia, India, and New Zealand are the three teams in the first group that are planning to fight for the tournament. India’s ICC women’s T20 World Cup 2024 team will at least try to repeat their best performance at the event. In 2020, the squad made it to the final, where they lost to Australia. Now, these two teams will meet in the first round of the competition. They have historically been the top teams in world cricket.
Australia is the reigning world champion and the most award-winning team in history. Their geographical neighbors, New Zealand, are also in contention to at least qualify from the group to the semi-finals. In the first stage, exciting confrontations are expected for the next one.
Despite Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s high levels, they are still the main underdogs of this group. The strength of the teams in Group A distinguishes it from Group B.
Notably, all the squads in the first group are in the top 10 world rankings in women’s cricket.
| Group В |
| Bangladesh |
| England |
| Scotland |
| South Africa |
| West Indies |
England is the main favorite in the second group. Bangladesh with South Africa will battle for second place. Scotland and the West Indies are the dark horses of this tournament. The Scots sensationally beat a powerful Ireland team in qualification and kept their neighbors out of the event. The West Indies are inferior to their opponents, but they can still surprise you with coaching decisions at the start of the competition.