Cricket fans in Australia will be able to watch the upcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup for free, with broadcaster Prime Video putting the tournament in front of its paywall.
All 31 matches of the eight-team event in India and Sri Lanka to be available live, exclusive and free via Prime Video, and viewers will only be required to sign into a free Amazon account.
The tournament begins with India hosting Sri Lanka in Guwahati on September 30, and Australia’s campaign for back-to-back titles will begin a day later against New Zealand on October 1, while the final will be held in Mumbai on November 2.
Australia will be aiming to win an unprecedented seventh 50-over World Cup title, and become the first women’s team to claim consecutive titles since 1988.
Every match will begin in prime time for Australian viewers, at 7.30pm AEST for those on the Eastern seaboard, 7pm for South Australia and the Northern Territory and 5.30pm for Western Australia.
Australia play two games before daylight savings kicks in for those in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia; following that, matches for those time zones will begin at 8.30pm AEDT and 8pm ACDT.
Keen fans eager to tune in for all 100 overs will need to stock up on their caffeine – and potentially ask their bosses for a late start – with games scheduled to end in the wee hours of the morning.
For those who treasure their sleep routines, there will be a choice of 10- or 25-minute highlights packages from each match on Prime Video, exclusive and free, or viewers can tune into a full match replay from the first ball that will be available immediately after the match has finished.
Those who join the live broadcast late will be able to use the ‘Rapid Recap’ feature to watch a highlights reel of the game’s best moments so far before joining the live action.
“It’s great that fans will be able watch the tournament on Prime Video for free; it’s a fantastic incentive and hopefully Australia gets behind us in what’s going to be a tightly fought World Cup,” Australia captain Alyssa Healy said in a statement.
“A World Cup is always one of the biggest events on the calendar for us and we’re excited to get to India and kick off our campaign.
“The women’s game continues to grow globally and maintaining strong visibility is essential to that growth.”
The last Women’s ODI World Cup was also freely available to fans in Australia, after Kayo – the rights holder at the time – put the tournament in front of the paywall after no free-to-air network purchased the rights.
The 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa was also available on Kayo’s ‘freebies’, however, last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE was available for Prime Video subscribers only.
In late 2023, Amazon’s Prime Video was announced as the new exclusive Australian rights holder for all ICC events under the end of 2027, with no free-to-air Australian broadcast of any men’s or women’s ICC events under the deal. Cricket Australia has no involvement or sway in the ICC’s broadcast deals.
Cricket’s broadcast landscape, which is the primary source of revenue for the game, can be confusing to unravel for fans. Each national board sells the rights to bilateral series they host, while the ICC separately sells rights to its suite of international tournaments.
This means that Australia’s three-game ODI series against India from September 14-20, that will serve as World Cup preparation for both teams, will be broadcast on Kayo Sports and Fox Cricket, who have an agreement in place with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to show its matches in the Australian market.
“As defending champions and the most successful side in tournament history, Australian women’s cricket continues to set the gold standard,” said Alexandra Gilbert, head of content for Prime Video Australia & New Zealand in a statement.
“This championship will be a defining moment for the Australian team like never before.
“By broadcasting the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 free for all Australians, in prime-time evening slots, we’re not only delighting our customers and maximising the visibility for these outstanding athletes — but also inspiring the next generation of female cricketers.”
2025 Women’s ODI World Cup
Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
Australia’s warm-up match
September 28: v England, Bengaluru, Bengaluru, 7:30pm AEST
Australia’s group stage matches
October 1: v New Zealand, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 7:30pm AEST
October 4: v Sri Lanka, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 7:30pm AEST
October 8: v Pakistan, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 8:30pm AEDT
October 12: v India, ACA-VDCA Stadium Visakhapatnam, 8:30pm AEDT
October 16: v Bangladesh, ACA-VDCA Stadium Visakhapatnam, 8:30pm AEDT
October 22: v England, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 8:30pm AEDT
October 25: v South Africa, Holkar Stadium, Indore, 8:30pm AEDT
Finals
Semi-final 1: Guwahati or Colombo*, October 29, 8:30pm AEDT
Semi-final 2: Mumbai, October 30, 8:30pm AEDT
Final: Mumbai or Colombo*, November 2, 8:30pm AEDT
All matches to be broadcast exclusively live and free on Amazon’s Prime Video. A free trial is available here.
* All games involving Pakistan to be played in Colombo, including the semi-final and final if they qualify
