The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 continued to rewrite the record books on Sunday, June 28, as the group-stage clash between Australia and India at Lord’s drew a crowd of 27,163 spectators. The attendance became the highest ever recorded for a group-stage match in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup, surpassing the mark established just a day earlier.
The packed crowd at the Home of Cricket reflected the growing popularity of women’s cricket worldwide. Fans filled Lord’s to witness one of the tournament’s defining fixtures, where Australia defeated India by six wickets to secure a place in the semi-finals and eliminate India from the competition.
The latest milestone marked the third occasion during the 2026 tournament that the record for the highest attendance at a Women’s T20 World Cup group-stage match had been broken.
Attendance Records Shattered
The first record was set on Sunday, June 15, during the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match at Edgbaston in Birmingham. A sell-out crowd of 18,814 attended the contest, which had generated approximately 88,000 ticket requests before the tournament.
The match also attracted enormous global interest, with around 134 million viewers watching via live streaming, while more than 1.1 billion viewing minutes were recorded on JioHotstar. It also accounted for over 40 percent of the total stadium attendance during the tournament’s opening weekend.
That fixture surpassed the previous group-stage attendance record of 15,935 spectators, which had been established during the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai.
A week later, on Saturday, June 27, England’s meeting with New Zealand at The Oval drew 21,018 spectators, setting another new benchmark for a Women’s T20 World Cup group-stage fixture.
The record lasted only one day before the Australia vs India match at Lord’s attracted 27,163 fans, establishing a new all-time high for the group stage.
Tournament Reaches Another Major Milestone
The record crowd at Lord’s also contributed to another landmark achievement for the tournament.
More than 125,000 spectators attended matches during the group stage across England and Wales, making the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 the highest-selling edition of the tournament to date.
Beyond stadium attendance, the competition has also generated record engagement through television broadcasts, live streaming services and digital platforms, reaching more supporters than any previous Women’s T20 World Cup.
Focus Shifts to the Knockout Stage
With the group stage now complete, attention turns to the semi-finals and final.
The semi-finals will be played at The Oval on Tuesday, June 30, and Thursday, July 2, before the final takes place at Lord’s on Sunday, July 5.
England and West Indies progressed from Group B after successful league-stage campaigns.
Australia finished unbeaten at the top of Group A, sealing qualification by defeating India at Lord’s. That victory also secured South Africa’s place in the semi-finals, while India exited the tournament despite beginning their final group match with qualification still in their own hands.
Women’s Cricket Continues Historic Growth
The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup has highlighted the rapid rise of the women’s game through a succession of record-breaking crowds.
With sold-out venues, significant television audiences and millions of fans following the tournament online, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has become one of the largest and most successful events in the history of women’s sport. As the competition heads into the knockout rounds, even greater crowds could add to a tournament that has already made history on and off the field.
