Nepal confirmed to host ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced Nepal as the host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier from 12 January to 2 February 2026.

Ten teams will compete in the 21-day event, playing across two venues at Mulpani, Kathmandu, for the four places up for grabs at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales. Lower Mulpani Cricket Stadium and Upper Mulpani Cricket Stadium to stage the 21-day event.

Bangladesh and Ireland are already confirmed for the Qualifier, having secured automatic qualification by virtue of their participation in the 2024 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, which was won by New Zealand in Dubai. The remaining eight teams are determined by way of regional qualifiers, with two teams each from Africa, Asia and Europe and one team each from the East Asia-Pacific and the Americas regions completing the lineup.

Thailand and Nepal have already qualified from Asia, while the USA have confirmed their place as the Americas’ representative, making the total number of teams already qualified to five including Bangladesh and Ireland, with the remaining five still to be confirmed.

The tournament will see two groups of five teams each, leading to a Super Six stage and then to the Final. The full tournament schedule will be announced in due course.

T20 World Cup to commence in June 2026

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will take place in England and Wales from 12 June to 5 July. Over the course of 24 days, 33 matches will be played across seven venues, including Old Trafford Cricket Ground (Manchester), Headingley (Leeds), Hampshire Bowl (Southampton), and Bristol County Ground. The newly expanded competition will see 12 teams competing for the prestigious trophy.

India and Australia will go into the tournament as favourites, whereas, the White Ferns will look to defend their title in the 2026 edition of the biannual event.