The tenth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be the biggest in the tournament’s history with an expanded 12 teams to battle it out for the ultimate prize from June 12 to July 5.
Netherlands will make their women’s T20 World Cup debut at the 2026 tournament in England after securing their place alongside Bangladesh with dominant performances at the qualifiers in Nepal earlier this year. It will be the Dutch side’s first appearance at a women’s cricket World Cup since 2000 when they last qualified for the 50-over event.
2026 women’s T20 World Cup groups (click to jump to squad)
Group 1: Australia, Bangladesh, India, Netherlands, Pakistan, South Africa
Group 2: England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies
See the full tournament schedule here
The tournament has been expanded to 12 teams for the 2026 edition, up from 10, which have been split into two groups of six.
Hosts England will play Sri Lanka to kick of the tournament on June 12, the first of 33 games in 24 days, which concludes with the final at Lord’s on July 5. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals to be played at The Oval, with the two winners to face off for the title.
Australia, who will be seeking a seventh women’s T20 World Cup triumph, have been placed in Group 1 alongside South Africa, India, Pakistan and two qualifiers, Bangladesh and Netherlands.
A mouthwatering showdown between Australia and India at Lord’s beckons on June 28 to round out group stage matches.
Defending champions New Zealand meanwhile have been drawn in Group 2 alongside England, 2024 semi-finalists West Indies, Sri Lanka and European nations Ireland and Scotland, who also earned their spot via this year’s qualifying tournament.
Australia
Squad: To be announced
The six-time champions are yet to announce their squad, but new captain Sophie Molineux will lead Australia at her first ICC event following Alyssa Healy’s retirement last summer. Molineux secured her first series victory as skipper against West Indies in March after going down to India 2-1 at home in her first series at the helm.
National selector Shawn Flegler said Molineux was on track to be fully fit for the T20 World Cup after playing as a specialist batter during the Caribbean tour. The left-arm spin-bowling allrounder didn’t bowl in the three T20s and sole ODI she played against West Indies and sat out the final two 50-over matches completely as Australia swept both series 3-0. Molineux hasn’t bowled since hurting her back against India in February with getting her body right to play as an allrounder in the T20 World Cup the priority.
Australia face a significant selection squeeze in the spin department with their skipper fully fit given leggie Alana King has mounted a strong case for a regular spot in the T20 side, taking five wickets against the Windies in her first internationals in the format in almost a year.
Powerful spin-bowling allrounders Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham are also set to be included in their 15-player World Cup squad that Flegler said would be finalised before the group reconvenes for a training camp in Brisbane in early May. Rising left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton is also pushing for inclusion after the 19-yeaqr-old made her international debut in all three formats in the space of 23 days in March.
Bangladesh
Squad: To be announced
England
Squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Hosts England have named rising left-arm teenage spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman in their 15-player World Cup squad to be led by superstar allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt. Corteen-Coleman, who was yet to make her senior international debut when the squad was announced on April 28, earned selection following strong domestic performances for Surrey and Southern Brave in the Hundred, where she made her debut as a 16-year-old in 2024 and has taken 17 wickets at 20.52 in two seasons.
She adds depth to England’s spin attack for the tournament, which also features vice-captain Charlie Dean, the world’s second-ranked T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith, who is the third left-arm finger spinner picked in the squad.
Alongside Corteen-Coleman, speedsters Issy Wong and Lauren Filer have been named in a T20 World Cup squad for the first time, while hard-hitting opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge will make her eighth appearance at the T20 tournament. Veteran batter Tammy Beaumont missed selection, while rising 19-year-old batter Davina Perrin couldn’t force her way in. Leg-spinner Sarah Glenn wasn’t considered for selection in the spin-heavy squad as she recovers from a broken finger.
England are seeking to win their first ICC global women’s event since the 2017 50-over World Cup, which they also hosted.
India
Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandani Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav
Star batter Harmanpreet Kaur will lead an Indian team who are the reigning 50-over world champions and are seeking to win the T20 World Cup for the first time.
Uncapped seamer Nandani Sharma has been included in the 15-player group with pace-bowling allrounder Amanjot Kaur and right-arm quick Kashvee Gautam unavailable due to injury. Nandani burst onto the scene as the equal leading WPL wicket-taker earlier this year with 17 scalps in 10 matches for Delhi Capitals.
India have stacked their squad with batters and a handful spin options, led by Deepti Sharma, with skipper Harmanpreet will be supported by key batters Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh. Experienced quick Renuka Singh will shoulder a lot of the pace bowling responsibilities.
Alongside Nandani, batter Bharti Fulmali, left-arm spinner Shree Charani and pacer Kranti Gaud have been picked in their first T20 World Cup squad. India will put the finishing touches on their World Cup preparation with a three-match T20I series against hosts England, beginning on May 28.
Ireland
Squad: To be announced
Netherlands
Squad: To be announced
New Zealand
Squad: Melie Kerr (c), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Sharp, Lea Tahuhu
The defending champions will be led by superstar allrounder Melie Kerr as they seek back-to-back titles after beating South Africa to win the 2024 edition in the United Arab Emirates, where Kerr was named player of the tournament for her record 15 wickets.
New Zealand legends Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu will play their last international matches at this year’s T20 World Cup after announcing their intentions to retire at the end of the tournament. Devine and Bates have played in every T20 World Cup since its inauguration in 2009 with this year’s tournament to be their 10th and final appearances.
Off-spinning allrounder Nensi Patel and batter Izzy Sharp have earned their maiden World Cup call-ups for New Zealand, with left-arm seamer Bree Illing, wicketkeeper-batter Polly Inglis and left-arm spinner Flora Devonshire in line to make their T20 tournament debuts having all featured in the squad at last year’s ODI World Cup.
New Zealand will play England in three-match ODI and T20I series respectively next month ahead of the T20 World Cup, as well as two warm-up games against Bangladesh and South Africa before launching their title defence against West Indies in Hampshire on June 13.
Pakistan
Squad: To be announced
Scotland
Squad: To be announced
South Africa
Squad: To be announced
Sri Lanka
Squad: To be announced
West Indies
Squad: To be announced
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Australia squad: TBC
Australia’s Group 1 fixtures
June 13: v South Africa, Old Trafford, Manchester, 11:30pm AEST
June 17: v Bangladesh, Headingly, Leeds, 7:30pm AEST
June 20: v Netherlands, Rose Bowl, Hampshire, 7:30pm AEST
June 24: v Pakistan, Headingly, Leeds, 3:30am AEST
June 28: v India, Lord’s, London, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)
Final: Lord’s, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
