ICC announces expansion of Women's World Cup after record attendance and viewership

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, November 7 announced that the next edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2029 will feature 10 teams, expanding from the existing eight-team format.

India won its first-ever global trophy in women’s cricket, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final played in Navi Mumbai on November 2.

Thousands of fans thronged the stadiums to watch action unfold, encouraging the world governing body to initiate the move.

“The ICC board, keen to build on the success of the event, agreed to expand the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams (from 8 teams in 2025),” an ICC press release stated.

More from First Cricket

South Africa bat first in Kolkata after Gill loses toss; India field four spinners, Sai Sudharsan dropped and Rabada ruled out IPL Trade News Highlights: LSG's Thakur, GT's Rutherford traded to MI; auction date reportedly announced

“Nearly 300,000 fans watched the event in stadia breaking the record for tournament attendance for any women’s cricket event. 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,” it further stated.

Increase in revenue distribution for Associate Members

Reflecting on ICC’s commitment towards equitable growth, the Board approved an increase of nearly 10% in distribution for funds to its associate members for the year 2026. The uplift in funding will enable these countries to invest further in domestic programmes, high-performance structures, and cricket development across emerging regions.

USA Cricket Controversy 

The ICC received its first update on ‘Project USA’, which was launched following the suspension of USA Cricket and in line with the ICC’s directive that the commercial and development interests of players in the US national teams should not be negatively impacted by the suspension of the board due to non-compliance.

The project is focused on building an optimised runway to Cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympic Games and enhancing performance pathways for the US national teams through ongoing participation in ICC Events.

Cricket in Pan-Am and African Games

With Cricket being reinducted into the Olympic programme in 2028 and already a part of Asian Games, it will also be included in the scheduled list of sports for the 2027 African Games in Cairo and PanAm Games 2027 in Peruvian capital of Lima.

Mithali Raj in ICC Women’s Cricket Committee

The ICC Board ratified the appointment of a number of members of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee: Ashley De Silva, Mithali Raj, Amol Muzumdar, Ben Sawyer, Charlotte Edwards, and Sala Stella Siale-Vaea.