ICC Expands Women's ODI World Cup to 10 Teams Starting 2029

• The ICC has declared that the Women’s ODI World Cup 2029 will consist of 10 teams, as opposed to 8
• This comes after India’s historic win in the 2025 Women’s World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed that the Women's ODI World Cup 2029 is set to feature an extension to 10 teams (previously 8), which is in line with India's win at the 2025 event where they recorded their first women's World Cup win by defeating South Africa by 52 runs at the final in Navi Mumbai, India, on November 2.

The ICC stated that deciding to expand to 10 teams will provide more opportunities for countries to participate, promote more competition in the tournament, and offset the overall global growth of investment and development in women's cricket.

It is hoped that expanding the number of teams will produce a broader talent pool and wider participation at the international level.

In a statement, the ICC said "The ICC Board, looking to build on the success of the event, have agreed to expand the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams (from 8 teams in 2025)" with nearly 300,000 fans attending the 2025 event in-person, and around 500 million in India viewership, through TV and streaming services. It was a new high for women's cricket viewership.

India's 2025 triumph, being the first time an Asian team won the Women's ODI World Cup, reportedly generated a total global audience of 446 million, including 21 million who watched the final live and 92 million viewers via connected TV. These numbers illustrate the increased interest and commercial growth of women's cricket.

The ICC is anticipating the expanded 2029 format to enhance global engagement, provide greater competitive opportunities and build on visibility and growth for women’s cricket globally.

The ICC is looking to take advantage of the momentum from 2025 to promote inclusion, equality, and sustainable growth of the game.