New Delhi: India will host the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, with the six-team tournament scheduled to be played from February 14 to 28. Mumbai and Vadodara have been selected as the host cities for the new addition to the international women’s cricket calendar.
The tournament was originally awarded to Sri Lanka, but the International Cricket Council later shifted the hosting rights to India. Sri Lanka, however, remains part of the competition after securing qualification independently of the hosting decision.
The six teams set to compete are India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Pakistan will not feature in the tournament after failing to meet the qualification requirement based on the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings.
India Takes Over Hosting Duties
The ICC confirmed India as the new host on September 2. The decision followed concerns surrounding the governance of Sri Lanka Cricket and its compliance with the ICC’s requirements.
While Sri Lanka lost the hosting rights, its place in the tournament remained unaffected. The qualification process was separate from the decision on where the competition would be staged, allowing Sri Lanka to retain its position among the six participating teams.
The matches will now be divided between Mumbai and Vadodara, giving India the opportunity to stage the first edition of the women’s Champions Trophy.
Why Pakistan Is Missing
Pakistan’s absence from the tournament is linked to the qualification system rather than the change in host country.
The six-team field was determined using the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings at a pre-decided cutoff date. July 6, 2026, was established as the qualification deadline, with India qualifying as hosts and the highest-ranked eligible teams securing the remaining places.
Pakistan was outside the required top-six positions when the rankings were assessed and therefore failed to qualify. Sri Lanka, by contrast, occupied a qualifying position and retained its place despite subsequently losing the hosting rights.
The change of venue from Sri Lanka to India did not result in a change to the qualified teams. Consequently, Pakistan could not enter the tournament simply because India took over as host.
A New Addition to the Women’s Cricket Calendar
The inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy will bring together six of the leading teams in women’s cricket for a compact international competition.
The tournament is expected to provide another major platform for women’s cricket, with India entering the event not only as hosts but also as one of the teams expected to attract considerable attention from home supporters.
For the participating teams, the competition will offer an opportunity to compete for a new ICC title, while Mumbai and Vadodara will take centre stage as international women’s cricket returns to India for another major tournament.
The absence of Pakistan means there will be no India-Pakistan encounter in the inaugural edition. However, that outcome is a consequence of the predetermined ranking-based qualification system rather than a decision taken after India was awarded the hosting rights.
With the tournament scheduled from February 14 to February 28, attention will now turn to preparations in the two host cities and the six teams that have secured their places in the history-making first edition of the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy.
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