The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially approved the expansion of the 2029 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup to feature 10 teams, marking one of the most significant structural shifts in the history of women’s cricket.
The decision follows the extraordinary success of the 2025 edition in India, which shattered viewership, attendance, and digital engagement records, firmly establishing women’s cricket as a high-value global property.
The expansion from eight to ten teams aims to broaden participation, increase global competitiveness, and deepen the sport’s reach, particularly among emerging cricketing nations. The ICC confirmed that the 2029 World Cup will serve as the culmination of a newly expanded Women’s Championship cycle (2025–2029), which now includes 11 teams competing in a more rigorous qualification structure.
The move reflects a new era of confidence in women’s cricket, underpinned by the remarkable success of the 2025 Women’s World Cup in India. That tournament not only delivered an iconic sporting moment India’s historic maiden World Cup victory but also provided irrefutable commercial proof of women’s cricket’s mainstream appeal.
The event drew nearly 300,000 fans across venues, setting an all-time record for attendance at a women’s cricket event. More strikingly, digital viewership reached unprecedented levels: the final between India and South Africa attracted 185 million digital viewers on JioHotstar, equaling the audience of the men’s 2024 T20 World Cup final.
Connected TV (CTV) viewership touched 92 million, matching the men’s ODI and T20 World Cup finals, and global reach exceeded 500 million viewers. For the ICC, these numbers were more than milestones they represented a commercial turning point.
“This is the proof of concept we were waiting for,” said an ICC spokesperson. “The 2025 World Cup demonstrated that women’s cricket is not just viable it’s profitable, sustainable, and globally resonant.”
Expanding the Pathway: From Championship to World Cup
To support the expanded 10-team format, the ICC has restructured the qualification process through the 2025–2029 ICC Women’s Championship. The new cycle will feature 11 full and emerging members, including Zimbabwe, who will join the Championship for the first time.
Each team will play eight three-match ODI series (four home and four away) over the four-year period, creating a broader, fairer qualification landscape. This system ensures that both established and developing nations gain consistent exposure to top-tier competition, helping bridge the gap between elite and emerging teams.
The ICC’s stated goal is to make qualification a test of both performance and endurance, reducing reliance on rankings or last-minute qualifiers. This structure, combined with an uplift in Associate Member funding by nearly 10%, aims to create a more competitive and balanced field for 2029.
“The expansion isn’t just about adding teams it’s about building a structure that sustains excellence,” explained former India captain Mithali Raj, now a member of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee. “When more countries get consistent, meaningful fixtures, their quality naturally rises. That’s how you grow the game, not just the tournament.”
A Boost for Emerging Nations
A critical element of the ICC’s strategy lies in ensuring that expansion does not dilute competitiveness. To that end, the governing body has increased its financial commitment to Associate and developing members. Beginning in 2026, a 10% rise in funding allocation will directly support high-performance programs, domestic pathways, and infrastructure projects for women’s cricket.
This funding model shifts the narrative from developmental aid to strategic investment ensuring that emerging teams like Thailand, Ireland, and the UAE are not merely participants but potential contenders.
Additionally, ICC development officers will monitor how each nation utilizes these funds to ensure measurable progress, including improvements in coaching, player development, and domestic structures. The ultimate objective is to produce a competitively credible World Cup field, where every participating team is capable of delivering high-quality cricket.
The 10-team expansion aligns with the ICC’s broader 2025–2029 women’s cricket roadmap, which seeks to institutionalize growth across three fronts elite competition, global inclusivity, and Olympic alignment.
The inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the T20 format has opened unprecedented opportunities for visibility and funding, especially from national Olympic committees. By expanding its global footprint through both the Olympics and the 2029 World Cup, the ICC aims to embed women’s cricket within mainstream sports ecosystems worldwide.
The success of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and similar domestic leagues has also accelerated this expansion, as more players from Associate and smaller Full Member nations gain exposure to professional competition. The ICC believes this structural connectivity between franchise cricket and international fixtures will sustain long-term global competitiveness.
Key figures from the sport have welcomed the move as transformative. England legend and global coach Charlotte Edwards said the expansion “will be the most important structural reform in the women’s game since central contracts.” She emphasized that “consistent international exposure for more teams means more depth, more unpredictability, and a stronger global narrative.”
Indian women’s team coach Amol Muzumdar echoed that sentiment: “This is how you create the next tier of champions. It’s not just about giving chances; it’s about giving structure and continuity to those chances.”
The 2029 ICC Women’s World Cup will be more than just an expanded tournament it will be a global showcase of women’s cricket’s maturity. The ten-team format, supported by the enhanced Championship cycle and stronger Associate pathways, is designed to ensure that the competition remains elite while embracing inclusivity. The ICC’s decision, anchored in commercial success and developmental foresight, marks a new chapter one where growth is no longer aspirational but institutional.
As women’s cricket heads into its most dynamic decade yet, the 2029 World Cup stands as both a celebration of progress and a catalyst for the future a global stage where ten nations will represent not just competition, but evolution.
