 "The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India will be held from 29 September to 26 October. Images: BCCI/ICC")
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 will be held in a hybrid model, it was confirmed on Thursday after Pakistan qualified for the tournament. Pakistan women’s cricket team progressed to the 2025 World Cup after beating Thailand in an ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.
Sidra Amin (80) and Fatima Sana (62) were the pick of the batters for Pakistan as they posted 205/6 in 50 overs batting first. Thailand were bowled out for 118 in 34.4 overs as Rameen Shamim returned match figures of 3/18 and Nashra Sandhu took three wickets for 19.
Pakistan’s qualification to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, however, means that the tournament will not be held entirely in India. Pakistan will be playing its matches at a neutral venue. The neutral venue is still not decided, but they are expected to be either in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or the UAE.
Why will Pakistan play its matches at a neutral venue?
This is as per the agreement reached between the International Cricket Council (ICC), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ahead of the Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.
With BCCI refusing to send Team India to Pakistan for the tournament, the three parties settled on a hybrid model agreement according to which India and Pakistan matches in ICC events hosted by either country during the 2024–2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.
As a result, the Indian men’s cricket team played their matches in Dubai during the Champions Trophy 2025 and the Pakistan women’s cricket team is also expected to play their matches at a neutral venue and not in India.
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India will be held from 29 September to 26 October across five venues – Indore, Mullanpur, Raipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam.