T20 World Cup the highlight of a big 2026 for women's cricket

There’s a big summer of women’s cricket lined up in England for 2026. The highlight will be England and Wales hosting the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 from 12 June to 5 July, bringing the global spotlight to women’s cricket.

This is the first time the competition will come to England since 2009, when the hosts triumphed in the inaugural tournament, completing a remarkable double after also winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup that year.

The Women's T20 World Cup 2026 will bring together twelve of the world’s top teams, with reigning champions New Zealand looking to defend their title, following their victory over South Africa in the 2024 tournament in the UAE.

And that’s not all. Either side of the T20 competition World Cup, the England Women will participate in a packed home schedule featuring New Zealand, India and Ireland, including a Rothesay Test match against India at Lord’s.

The highlight of the summer will undoubtedly be the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, hosted here in England for the first time since 2009. It’s a huge moment for the women’s game, for Nat Sciver-Brunt and her team, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to inspire the next generation of players and fans. And just after that, we're thrilled that Lord's will also host an England Women's Test match for the first time, marking a really special period of time for the women’s game.

Richard Gould, ECB Chief Executive Officer