The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to take another major step in the global growth of women’s cricket after deciding to expand the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy for its second edition later this year. The tournament, which was introduced in 2025 as a platform for developing women’s teams, will now feature 10 nations instead of eight, with the inclusion of five Full Member countries alongside leading Associate sides.
The expanded tournament is scheduled to be played in November 2026 and is expected to provide a stronger competitive structure for emerging women cricketers across different regions. The decision was finalised during the ICC Chief Executives Committee meeting, where women’s cricket development formed one of the key areas of discussion.
Unlike the inaugural edition, which featured only Associate Member teams, the upcoming championship will now include Test playing nations Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland. They will join Associate teams Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Papua New Guinea in what is expected to be a far more competitive tournament.
The move reflects the ICC’s growing focus on strengthening the women’s game globally and creating more opportunities for emerging players outside major ICC tournaments. Officials believe that involving Full Member nations alongside Associate teams will help raise the quality of competition while also giving smaller cricketing nations greater exposure against stronger opponents.
The inaugural Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy was held in Bangkok from November 20 to 30 last year and marked an important milestone in women’s cricket development. The tournament featured hosts Thailand along with Scotland, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, Uganda and Tanzania. The competition proved highly competitive, with four teams Thailand (champions), UAE, Scotland and the Netherlands finishing level on points at the end of the group stage.
The success of the first edition appears to have encouraged the ICC to further invest in the concept. Under ICC chairman Jay Shah, women’s cricket has become one of the organisation’s top strategic priorities. Shah had previously overseen several initiatives during his tenure as BCCI secretary that contributed significantly to the rise of women’s cricket in India, including the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The ICC’s renewed push comes at a time when women’s cricket is witnessing unprecedented growth in global popularity, commercial value and television audiences. The recent Women’s World Cup generated record breaking viewership figures worldwide, with India’s triumph in the tournament further boosting interest in the women’s game across the subcontinent.
Sources within the ICC believe the governing body now wants to position women’s cricket as the most followed women’s sport globally over the next decade. As part of those ambitions, the ICC Chief Executives Committee also received a detailed presentation from global consulting firm McKinsey & Company during the meeting.
The presentation reportedly focused on a long term strategy refresh for women’s cricket, including recommendations on tournament structures, audience engagement and commercial expansion. According to discussions during the meeting, the consultancy suggested that the ICC could potentially increase its overall revenues tenfold in the coming years if the women’s game continues to expand at its current pace.
Another major topic during the meeting involved the ICC’s plans for data monetisation and digital growth. Representatives from Oliver Wyman delivered presentations on a proposed centralised data hub project that the ICC hopes could become a significant new revenue stream for global cricket.
The governing body is reportedly aiming to generate at least $100 million through the project by commercialising cricket data more effectively across media, analytics and betting industries. Comparable sports organisations such as FIFA and the ATP Tour are believed to earn close to $200 million each annually through similar data platforms.
While women’s cricket dominated much of the discussions, there was no formal debate on key men’s cricket issues during the Chief Executives Committee meeting. Topics such as restructuring the World Test Championship and the possibility of introducing a two tier Test cricket system were not addressed at this stage.
Those matters are expected to be discussed separately at the upcoming ICC Board meeting scheduled to take place in Ahmedabad on May 30. For now, the expansion of the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy represents another important signal of the ICC’s growing commitment to building a stronger global ecosystem for women’s cricket. With more teams, greater exposure and increased investment, the tournament could become a crucial platform in identifying the next generation of international stars in the women’s game.
