India’s historic triumph in the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, sealed by a 52-run victory over South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, has set the tone for the fourth edition of the ICC Women’s Championship cycle from 2025 to 2029.
Under captain Harmanpreet Kaur and head coach Amol Muzumdar, India secured their first senior ICC title, providing momentum ahead of the expanded championship structure. The new cycle features 11 teams, including the addition of Zimbabwe, and will act as the primary qualification route to the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup. A total of 132 ODIs will be played across 44 three-match series.
Seedings for the competition are based on the standings from the 2025 World Cup, with leading teams such as India, South Africa and Australia preparing for demanding schedules that include four home and four away series each. Several tours will also combine ODI fixtures with matches in other formats.
Expanded format and qualification stakes
Since its introduction in 2014, the ICC Women’s Championship has significantly increased competitive opportunities in international women’s cricket. The current cycle includes India, South Africa, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland and newcomers Zimbabwe, with each side facing eight different opponents.
At the conclusion of the league phase, the top eight teams — comprising the top seven finishers plus the host nation of the 2029 World Cup — will secure direct qualification. The remaining three sides will advance to the global qualifier tournament.
Points system
The tournament operates on a simple points structure. Teams earn two points for a win, while tied, no-result or abandoned matches award one point to each side, with the losing team receiving none. In the event of teams finishing level on points, standings are determined by the number of wins, followed by net run rate across all matches, head-to-head points, head-to-head net run rate and finally the original tournament seeding. Matches without a result are excluded from net run rate calculations.
Full tours schedule
| Team | Home Series | Away Series |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ENG, NZ, BAN, IRE | IND, SA, WI, SL |
| BAN | SA, WI, ZIM, SL | ENG, IND, AUS, PAK |
| ENG | NZ, SA, BAN, IRE | IND, AUS, PAK, SL |
| IND | ENG, AUS, BAN, ZIM | NZ, SA, WI, IRE |
| IRE | IND, NZ, PAK, WI | ENG, AUS, ZIM, SL |
| NZ | IND, SA, ZIM, SL | ENG, AUS, PAK, IRE |
| PAK | ENG, NZ, BAN, ZIM | SA, WI, SL, IRE |
| SA | IND, AUS, PAK, WI | ENG, NZ, BAN, ZIM |
| SL | ENG, AUS, PAK, IRE | NZ, BAN, WI, ZIM |
| WI | IND, AUS, PAK, SL | SA, BAN, ZIM, IRE |
| ZIM | SA, WI, SL, IRE | IND, NZ, BAN, PAK |
Looking back: Australia’s dominance in the previous cycle
Australia emerged as the leading side in the 2022–2025 Championship cycle, finishing with 39 points from 24 matches, narrowly ahead of India by one win. During that period, Australia toured Bangladesh, England, Ireland and New Zealand while hosting India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies.
Six teams secured automatic qualification for the 2025 Women’s World Cup — Australia, hosts India, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, who edged Bangladesh on net run rate. Bangladesh and Pakistan later advanced through the qualifier, while West Indies, Ireland and other teams missed out.
