ICC Declares World Cup Expansion For 2029, Multi-Nation Tournament To Feature More Matches In Response To Recent Success

The International Cricket Board (ICC) has officially sanctioned a series of strategic decisions to solidify the foothold of women's cricket and also help expand its long-term developmental strategy.

One of the key decisions is regarding women's cricket, where the ICC has maintained its dedication to the development. The next edition of the Women's ODI World Cup will feature ten teams, which is an extension of the traditional eight teams in the tournament.

The development was made following the historic success of the recently concluded ICC Women's World Cup 2025, where the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Team India was crowned as the undisputed champions of the world.

ICC Makes A Historic Decision Following Recent Success

The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 in India was a historic affair as fans flocked to the stadiums to witness women's cricket. Some cricketers also delivered memorable performances in the showpiece event.

India-W was crowned the champions after they defeated the Laura Wolvaardt-led South Africa-W in the summit clash at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Following the success of the Women's World Cup in 2025, the ICC Board has decided to expand the historic women's ODI showpiece event to ten teams. 2025 featured eight teams in action, and 2029 would have ten teams in action.

"The ICC board, keen to build on the success of the event, agreed to expand the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams (from eight teams in 2025)," The International Cricket Council said in a statement.

The move by the ICC will be historic as it will enhance the competitiveness among teams. Additionally, emerging nations will also get a chance to headline the prestigious ICC competition.

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The ICC also stated that the board has reviewed its current engagement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as cricket is reintroduced in the Olympics at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

ICC Women's World Cup Creates Multiple Records

The Women's ODI World Cup was a historic affair, with around 300,000 fans showing up at the venues across India and Sri Lanka to witness some women's cricketing action. It has officially broken the record for the most tournament attendance for any women's cricketing event.

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In terms of viewership, the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 also witnessed significant viewership growth and created new records. Nearly 500 million viewers in India tuned in to watch the Women's CWC tournament, with the summit clash garnering 21 million viewers.