New Delhi. Women’s cricket is continuously reaching new heights and the latest example of this is the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. This time the tournament is not only going to be bigger in terms of the number of teams, but a new history has also been created in terms of prize money, which shows the growing influence and popularity of women’s cricket.
ICC has announced a record prize money of US $ 8,764,615 for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is 10% more than the 2024 edition. This amount is more than the total prize money of $ 7,958,077 for the tournament played in the United Arab Emirates in 2024. The special thing is that this time 12 teams will participate in the tournament for the first time.
The winning team will be rich
The winning team will receive $2,340,000, while the runner-up will receive $1,170,000. Both the teams losing in the semi-finals will be given $675,000. Apart from this, the team will get $31,154 for winning every group match. All 12 teams will be given a guaranteed prize money of at least $247,500. This big announcement has come 60 days before the start of the tournament. The first match of the tournament will be played on June 12 between England women’s team and Sri Lanka in Birmingham. Teams like Australia, Bangladesh, India, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa and West Indies will also participate in this tournament. A total of 33 matches will be played in 24 days on 7 different grounds.
Trophy tour begins
Now all eyes are on England and Wales, where the ICC Trophy Tour has started. Through this tour, a tournament environment is being created in Europe. The trophy tour started from London, where it was displayed at Lord’s. This is the first time that projection was done on the pavilion of this historical ground. After this, the trophy will tour European countries like Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland and then reach the host cities in May, to boost the excitement among the fans before the tournament.
Trophy Tour Schedule:
Scotland: 7–10 May
Netherlands: 11–14 May
Ireland: 15–18 May
Leeds: 19–24 May
Manchester: 25–27 May
Birmingham: 28–29 May
Bristol: 31 May – 1 June
Southampton: 3–4 June
London: 5–8 June
ICC’s big plan
During the tour, special events will be organized for the fans at major places like Millennium Square of Leeds, St Peter’s Square of Manchester, Bullring of Birmingham, Cabot Circus of Bristol, Guildhall Square of Southampton and Trafalgar Square of London. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said that women’s cricket is growing rapidly and the expansion to 12 teams and record prize money is a sign that the ICC is committed to making the game stronger. Meanwhile, tournament director Beth Barrett-Wild said that this tournament will prove to be a milestone in the history of women’s cricket. The record demand for tickets and prize money equivalent to men’s cricket reflects the growing popularity of the game.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is not just a cricket tournament but is emerging as a symbol of the bright future of women’s cricket. Record prize money, more teams and increasing interest at the global level indicate that women’s cricket has now firmly made its mark on the world sports map.
