The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a significant expansion for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, with the tournament set to feature 16 teams by 2030. This expansion aligns with the ICC's commitment to promoting equity between the men's and women's games.
The Women's T20 World Cup, which began in 2009 with eight teams, will increase to 12 teams in the 2026 edition to be held in England, and eventually to 16 teams in 2030. The qualification cut-off date for the 2026 tournament is set for October 31, 2024.
Additionally, the ICC has placed USA Cricket and Cricket Chile on notice due to non-compliance with ICC Membership Criteria, specifically regarding their governance and administrative structures. They have been given 12 months to address these issues.
In other developments, the ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) confirmed the allocation of eight regional qualifying spots for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Under this new structure, two teams each will qualify from Africa and Europe, one from the Americas, and three from a combined Asia and East Asia-Pacific (EAP) regional final, changing the previous allocation of two spots for Asia and one for EAP.
A review of the recently concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 will be overseen by directors Roger Twose, Lawson Naidoo, and Imran Khwaja, who will report their findings later this year. The CEC also approved the appointment of Paul Reiffel to the ICC Men's Cricket Committee as the Elite Panel Umpire, while Richie Richardson was confirmed as the Elite Panel Referee.
These announcements were made at the ICC Annual Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which concluded on Monday. The four-day conference, held just days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, focused on "Capitalizing on the Olympic Opportunity" ahead of cricket's inclusion in the LA28 Games. These developments highlight the ICC's ongoing efforts to enhance the global reach and governance of cricket, ensuring the sport's growth and integrity across all formats and regions.
