ICC Launches New Tournament for Emerging Women’s Cricket Nations

A new international tournament for developing women’s cricket teams has been announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with the inaugural Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from November 20 to 30, 2025. The competition has been introduced as part of a wider effort to expand the sport’s global footprint and provide stronger pathways for emerging nations.

The event has been positioned within a three-tier development structure created by the ICC to increase high-performance exposure for teams outside the traditional full-member group. A total of eight countries have been confirmed for the first edition: Thailand, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, the United Arab Emirates, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda.

It has been clarified that India will not participate, as the tournament is being reserved exclusively for emerging women’s teams.

The competition is set to open with hosts Thailand facing the Netherlands, while Papua New Guinea will play against the UAE on the same day. All matches will be played in Bangkok.

The launch of the new event has been driven by the success of the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, which concluded recently with India being crowned champions for the first time after defeating South Africa in the final.

The World Cup was watched by more than 500 million viewers globally, and nearly 300,000 spectators were recorded across India and co-host Sri Lanka. The ICC stated that India’s historic win, which marked the first Women’s World Cup title for any Asian team, has been viewed as a major milestone in women’s sport and as an important moment in shifting societal perceptions of gender roles.

It was explained that the surge in global viewership and fan engagement has created new momentum for the women’s game, encouraging the ICC to further invest in development-focused competitions.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ICC said the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy has been designed to strengthen long-term structures for women’s cricket.

ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta noted that the governing body’s leadership has prioritised expanding opportunities for athletes from developing nations.

“It has been the ICC and the Chair’s vision to expand cricket sustainably and to strengthen the women’s game worldwide. By providing emerging nations with more opportunities to compete at higher standards, their development is expected to be accelerated and the competitiveness of their teams improved,” Gupta said.

He added that greater visibility of the sport in these countries is intended to encourage more girls to take up cricket and motivate women already in the system to continue through the established pathways.

The Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy has been positioned as an important platform for rising teams to gain international experience, build competitive depth, and attract support within their home countries.

Its introduction has been viewed as part of the ICC’s broader commitment to making international cricket more inclusive and globally representative.