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

By: WE staff | Saturday, 8 November 2025

• The ICC will increase the number of teams participating in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2029 to 10 teams, changing it from 8
• The increase comes after the 2025 women’s World Cup was won by India for the first time

The ICC (International Cricket Council) announced that the Women's ODI World Cup 2029 will expand from eight to ten teams.

This commitment followed the 2025 edition of the event when India claimed its first team title in women's cricket by defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final in Navi Mumbai on November 2. 

The ICC says this expansion will create opportunities for more countries to compete, promote competition amongst participating teams, and help encourage more nations to develop and invest in women's cricket at the international level.

It is likely that the added teams will cover a broader talent pool and facilitate more countries being active participants in women's cricket at the global level.

“The ICC Board, wanting to build on the success of the event, agreed to extend the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams (8 teams in 2025),” the ICC said in a press release.

The ICC also stated that by "nearly 300,000 fans in the stadiums and approximately 500 million viewers in India, the 2025 event set new records for women’s cricket viewership."

India's historic victory in 2025 (for the first Asian team) to win the Women's ODI World Cup (Organized by the ICC) accomplished 446 million total estimated audience globally, of which 21 million viewers tuned into the live final, along with 92 million connected TV viewers.

The high attendance and viewership figures suggested growing interest and opportunity for women's cricket.

The expanded World Cup envisioned for 2029 would leave concerted potential to provide global opportunities for all teams to assist in and grow women's cricket visibility and competition.

The ICC intends to utilize this to build on the momentum from the 2025 opportunity and to develop strategies to ensure equity and a sense of shared vision as part of the celebration of women's cricket globally.