ICC Announces UAE as Host for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially declared that the 2024 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Initially, Bangladesh was set to host the tournament, but due to unforeseen circumstances, they were compelled to withdraw from their hosting duties. As a result, Dubai and Sharjah will welcome top-tier women cricketers from around the globe for this prestigious event.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from Friday, October 3 to Sunday, October 20, 2024. While specific venues have not been disclosed in the ICC’s announcement, it is anticipated that matches will be played at the renowned Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Sports City and the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The UAE was chosen as the replacement host over other contenders, including Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, as confirmed on Tuesday, August 20. With a vibrant cricket culture, the UAE has successfully hosted numerous major cricket events in recent years, including the DP World International League T20 earlier this year. The country’s extensive expatriate population, comprising cricket enthusiasts from various nations, is expected to contribute to the tournament’s popularity.

ICC Chief Executive’s Statement

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice expressed gratitude towards the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in at short notice to host the tournament. He remarked, “It is unfortunate that we are not able to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have organized a remarkable event. I would like to commend the BCB for their efforts to explore all possible avenues for hosting the event, but due to travel advisories from several participating teams’ governments, it became unfeasible.”

He continued, “Nevertheless, Bangladesh will retain hosting rights and we look forward to bringing an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB, as well as to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support. We look forward to seeing ICC global events take place in both of those countries in 2026.”

Participating Teams in the Women’s T20 World Cup

Australia, the reigning champions, will return to defend their title against nine other nations. The 2023 winners have qualified alongside the top six teams from the previous edition of the tournament held in 2023. The other confirmed nations include:

• England
• India
• South Africa
• New Zealand
• West Indies

Although the UAE has stepped in as the host, it is believed that Bangladesh retains their qualification rights as the original hosts and will still field a team, though this has yet to be confirmed by the ICC. The next highest-ranked team in the Women’s T20I rankings, Pakistan, has also qualified, along with the final two spots taken by Scotland and Sri Lanka.

As of now, ticket information remains undisclosed and the complete tournament schedule is yet to be announced following the change of venue.

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