Expansion Era: ICC Confirms 10-Team Women's ODI World Cup 2029 with 48 Matches Following Record-Breaking India Triumph

The International Cricket Council announced on November 7, 2025, that the Women's ODI World Cup 2029 will expand from eight to ten teams with 48 matches—a 55% increase from the 31 games played in 2025—capitalizing on the tournament's unprecedented success where nearly 300,000 stadium attendees and 500 million Indian television viewers witnessed India's maiden World Cup triumph over South Africa by 52 runs at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on November 2. The expansion, first announced on International Women's Day 2021, reflects the ICC's commitment to developing women's cricket globally while creating pathways for emerging nations like West Indies (who failed to qualify for 2025), Ireland, Zimbabwe, and USA to compete on the world stage.​

The Expansion Details

2029 Women's ODI World Cup Format

• Teams: 10 (up from 8 in 2025)

• Matches: 48 (up from 31 in 2025)

• Qualification pathway: To be finalized

• Host nation: To be determined​

The ICC also confirmed expansion of the Women's T20 World Cup to 12 teams (up from 10 in 2024 UAE edition), providing additional competitive opportunities across formats.​

The Catalyst: Record-Breaking 2025 Edition

The ICC Board cited the "unprecedented success" of India's home World Cup as justification for immediate expansion:

Attendance Records:

• Stadium attendance: Nearly 300,000 (highest for any women's cricket event globally)

• India television/digital viewership: 500 million

• World Cup final viewership (JioHotstar): 185 million users

• Tournament digital reach (JioHotstar): 446 million​

ICC's official statement emphasized: "The ICC board, keen to build on the success of the event, agreed to expand the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams."​

Historical Context: Eight-Team Era Ends

Since 2000, only eight teams have competed in the Women's ODI World Cup main draw—a format that excluded competitive nations like West Indies (absent from 2025 for first time since 2000), Ireland, Zimbabwe, and emerging powerhouses USA.​

2025 Qualification Pathway:

• India (automatic, hosts)

• Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka (Women's ODI Championship)

• Bangladesh, Pakistan (World Cup Qualifier)​

The 10-team format will allow two additional nations to compete, though specific qualification criteria remain under development.

Cricket's Olympic Expansion

LA 2028 Olympics Confirmed

The ICC Board confirmed cricket's Olympic return details:

• Format: Men's and women's T20 cricket

• Teams per gender: 6 teams

• Total matches: 28 across both tournaments

• Venue: Los Angeles, USA

• Significance: Cricket's first Olympics appearance since Paris 1900​

Regional Multi-Sport Games

Cricket will expand into additional multi-sport platforms:

• 2027 African Games: Cairo, Egypt

• 2027 Pan American Games: Lima, Peru

• Asian Games: Already established (part of program since 2010)​

Financial Boost for Associate Members

The ICC Board approved a nearly 10% increase in fund distribution to Associate Members for 2026, enabling investments in:

• Domestic cricket programs

• High-performance structures

• Grassroots development

• Infrastructure improvements​

This funding uplift directly supports nations aspiring to qualify for the expanded 2029 World Cup.

USA Cricket: Project USA Update

The ICC received its first update on "Project USA"—launched after USA Cricket's suspension for non-compliance—focusing on:

• Building optimized runway to LA 2028 Olympic Games

• Enhancing performance pathways for US national teams

• Ensuring commercial and development interests aren't negatively impacted by board suspension

• Maintaining USA's participation in ICC events​

ICC Women's Cricket Committee Appointments

The Board ratified six new members to the ICC Women's Cricket Committee:

• Mithali Raj (India, former captain, all-time leading ODI run-scorer)

• Amol Muzumdar (India women's head coach)

• Ashley De Silva (cricket administrator)

• Ben Sawyer (performance analyst)

• Charlotte Edwards (England legend, former captain)

• Sala Stella Siale-Vaea (Pacific Islands representative)​

Mithali's appointment is particularly significant given her 23-year international career (1999-2022) spanning 232 ODIs with 7,805 runs—the most by any woman in ODI cricket history.

The Strategic Vision

ICC Chairman Jay Shah's administration views expansion as critical to women's cricket sustainability. The 48-match format in 2029 creates:

• More broadcast inventory for media rights deals

• Greater fan engagement opportunities

• Deeper competitive depth across nations

• Enhanced commercial viability

Cricket experts suggest the 10-team format could follow structures used in men's tournaments:

• Two groups of 5: Round-robin within groups, top 2-3 advance to knockouts

• Single group: All teams play each other, top 4-6 advance to knockouts