INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL (ICC) has released the schedule for the inaugural ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy T20I, set to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 20 to 30 November. The event marks another important step in the ICC’s broader strategy to elevate women’s cricket and broaden global participation.
This announcement follows the success of the record-breaking ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, which captured worldwide attention. The tournament drew more than 500 million viewers in India alone and registered strong viewership growth across multiple markets. As part of its efforts to boost visibility and engagement, the ICC’s Women’s Cricket Week initiative saw over 40 countries host activities aimed at promoting inclusivity in the sport, per the ICC release.
Nearly 300,000 spectators attended matches in India and Sri Lanka, with the event culminating in India becoming the first Asian team to win the Women’s Cricket World Cup, the release added.
The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy forms a key component of a new three-tier development pathway created to provide high-performance opportunities for emerging cricketing nations.
Eight teams: Thailand, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda will compete across two venues, the Terdthai Cricket Ground and the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok.
Alongside this, the ICC has announced two additional women’s tournaments aimed at further strengthening opportunities for Associate Members. The ICC Women’s Challenge Trophy, featuring five teams, will begin in 2026 with the first edition to be hosted in Rwanda.
The Challenge Trophy will comprise the top team from each of the five ICC development regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, East Asia Pacific and Europe, that are not part of the Emerging Nations Trophy, identified through regional qualifiers.
A second new event, set to begin in 2027, will feature eight teams and provide Associate Members with the chance to compete against some of the higher-ranked sides in the T20I format, the official name of the event will be revealed in due course.
ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta said, “It is the ICC and the Chair’s vision to sustainably expand Cricket’s footprint across the world and grow the women’s game. Providing elite athletes from emerging nations more opportunities to play at the highest level is aimed at fast-tracking their development and improving the competitiveness of their teams. It also drives the visibility of the sport in participant nations, serving as a driver of girls’ involvement in the sport and inspires women from other nations to stay committed to the development pathways.”
