Women's T20 World Cup Format: How the Tournament Works
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup is the premier global T20 tournament for women's cricket. Learn the group stage format, qualification rules, semi-finals, and how teams advance to the final.
What is the Women's T20 World Cup?
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup (WT20) is the global T20 championship for women's cricket, held every two years by the International Cricket Council. The 2026 edition is hosted by England. Ten teams compete — the 10 Test-playing nations plus qualifier nations based on ICC rankings and qualifying tournaments — in a round-robin group stage followed by knockout semi-finals and a final.
The group stage
The 10 teams are split into two groups of 5. Each team plays every other team in their group once — four group stage matches per team. Teams earn 2 points for a win, 1 point each for a no-result, and 0 points for a loss. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals. When teams are level on points, Net Run Rate (NRR) is the primary tiebreaker.
Semi-finals and Final
The four semi-finalists play knockout matches: SF1 is Group 1 winner vs Group 2 runner-up, and SF2 is Group 2 winner vs Group 1 runner-up. The winners of the two semi-finals meet in the final. Reserve days exist for all knockout matches — if play is washed out on the scheduled day, the match is replayed on the reserve day. If no play is possible on the reserve day either, the team that finished higher in the group stage advances.
Frequently asked questions
How many teams play in the Women's T20 World Cup?
10 teams in the 2026 edition — 5 per group. The ICC has expanded the format to 12 teams from 2028.
What happens if rain stops a Women's T20 World Cup match?
DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method is applied for interrupted matches. A minimum of 10 overs per side must be bowled for a result to be possible. Below 10 overs, the match is a no-result.
Can the defending champion be eliminated in the group stage?
Yes. New Zealand, the 2024 champions, were eliminated in the group stage in 2026 after failing to qualify from Group 2.