245,815Spectators across 25 matchdaysMore than 100,000 above the previous attendance record
471MGlobal viewing hours+156% compared with the 2024 edition
4.3BN+Tournament video viewsCombined across the ICC's digital platforms and ICC Creator Club programme
A NEW GLOBAL BENCHMARK
New heights. New possibilities.
Before a ball was bowled, records had been broken for ticket sales, prize money and partner support. What followed was a tournament that raised the bar for the women’s game, on the pitch and far beyond it.
“This is not the end point of our ambition; it is the platform for what comes next.”
Jay ShahICC Chairman
“The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has made a powerful statement about the future of the women’s game. This tournament delivered record crowds, viewership, reach and engagement, and demonstrated what is possible when women’s cricket is given the platform, investment and belief it deserves.
“I am immensely proud of the players, whose performances inspired fans around the world, as well as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), our Members, broadcasters, commercial partners, ICC staff and all the volunteers who played such crucial roles in delivering an event of this scale and quality that will be remembered not only for its records, but for its impact.
“This is not the end point of our ambition; it is the platform for what comes next. The ICC will continue to invest in women’s cricket, expand opportunity, strengthen pathways and take the game to more fans, more communities and more markets around the world. The success of this tournament gives us even greater confidence in the future we are building.”
Sanjog GuptaICC Chief Executive Officer
“Our ambition for each ICC event, particularly women’s events, is to raise the bar for our sport; to elevate the stage for the world’s best players, reach new fans the world over, drive deep multi-modal engagement and amplify the purpose and belonging that the game delivers. The scale of the response, as highlighted in this report, shows how that ambition translated into reality.
“Nearly 250,000 in-stadia attendees, almost 500 million total global viewing hours and more than four billion digital video views are powerful measures of the global attention the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 commanded, but the story - and this event’s real-world impact - extends well beyond any single metric, transcending socio-cultural and economic boundaries.
“We deliberately widened access to the event across platforms, cultures, languages, interest segments and markets, combining world-class broadcast coverage with free streaming, digital-first distribution, creator-led storytelling, pop culture plug-ins and new ways for fans to interact with the game. That approach enabled more people to discover, follow and engage with women’s cricket than before, and drove strong associations.
“The opportunity now is to further convert the extraordinary level of attention into lasting affiliation. ICC events must continue to serve as platforms that deepen and widen fandom, elevate our athletes and create cultural, commercial and social impact around the game.”
Chapter 01 / The stage
Records on the pitch. History in the stands.
Twelve teams. Seven venues. Thirty-three matches. A summer that brought women’s cricket to more people than ever before.
England vs South Africa - ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-FinalAlex Davidson / ICC
245,815SPECTATORS ACROSS 25 MATCHDAYS
More than 100,000 fans above the previous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup attendance record.
£1M+The Lord's Final is the highest-grossing women's cricket match in history.
9,000+Runs scoredThe highest-scoring edition in history
7.5Runs per overA new tournament record
RECORD BREAKING ATTENDANCE AT EVERY STAGE
Three successive group-stage attendance records, followed by a new UK record at the Final.
OPENING WEEKEND18,814
India vs Pakistan
Their meeting at Edgbaston set a new ICC Women's T20 World Cup group-stage attendance record.
THE OVAL21,018
England vs New Zealand
The Oval fixture surpassed the opening weekend’s record.
LORD’S GROUP STAGE27,164
South Africa vs Bangladesh & India vs Australia
The Lord’s double-header raised the attendance record again.
THE FINAL28,887
England vs Australia
The biggest crowd for a women’s cricket match in the United Kingdom.
Twelve captains. One iconic launch on Waterloo Bridge.ICC / Getty Images · 7 June 2026
CRICKET MEETS CULTURE
Cricket stole the spotlight.
A live pitch on Waterloo Bridge. England’s players in British Vogue. Food, fashion and the cast of Wicked. Rita Ora and Clean Bandit at the Final.
A festival of cricket, from the first gathering to the last ball.
From visitor spending to host-city activity, the tournament’s impact reached far beyond the boundary.
TOTAL IMPACT FOR THE UK
$93.8M
Economic impact and media value. One summer. A nationwide return.
What makes up the impact?
$78.03mEconomic impact$15.8mMedia value
$50.74mNet economic spend
$27.30mEconomic multiplier contribution
THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN
13,000+ jobs and roles generated or supported.
Full-time and part-time activity, including contractual roles, venue staff, volunteers and third-party activity.
$1.51mEconomic value attributed to employment activity
Source: Nielsen Economic Report · Employment value is reported separately here and is not added to the headline impact.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT
Spending that travelled.
Accommodation was the largest visitor-spend contributor.
Net organising spend
Accommodation
Food & beverage
Tickets & other spend
Retail & tourism
Transportation
Travel
$0m$5m$10m$15m
Spend ($ million)
THE VISITORS BEHIND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT
A reason to travel. A reason to stay.
79%International attendees travelled to England primarily for the tournament
59%International attendees stayed overnight
32%Domestic visitors stayed overnight away from home
Source: Nielsen Economic Report
BEYOND THE STADIUM
Hotels. Restaurants. Transport. Local businesses. A World Cup felt across the host economy.
Source: supplied Nielsen Economic Report. Monetary values in $ million unless stated. Figures are reproduced as reported; components may differ slightly from totals due to rounding.
Chapter 03 / The audience
A world watching.
The record crowds were matched by record global viewership. Every one of the four most-watched matches in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup history came from this edition.
Global viewing hours
2024
184M
2026
471M
+156%Global viewing hours compared with the 2024 edition
~52%
Global viewing powered by digital platforms
The four most-watched matches
Global viewing hours · ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026
01India v Pakistan
77M+
02Australia v India
54M+
03South Africa v India
51M+
04Bangladesh v India
42M+
England vs New Zealand - ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026Christopher Lee / ICC
150MGlobal unique reachViewers who watched at least one minute · +63% vs 2024
1.5×Global coverage hoursCompared with the 2024 tournament
600MJioStar-ICC creator stream viewsIncluded within the 1.1 billion+ total
CREATOR SPOTLIGHT
New voices. Real connections.
Nanji · ThailandJust under 20M views
Shreya Singh · India8.3M engagements
Saurav Halder · India5.6M engagements
Miki Shimura · Japan2.6M views
Logan van Beek · Netherlands2.4M views
Creators represented four broadcast licensees (JioStar, Sky Sports, Prime Video & Myco), five partners (Marriott Bonvoy, Thums Up, Royal Stag, Pears & Rexona), the local organising committee and Members. More than 30 collaborated with ICC commercial partners.
Chapter 06 / The broadcast
Closer to every moment.
The first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup delivered entirely in 1080p brought greater clarity and richer detail to every ball.
THE NEW STANDARD1080p
EVERY MATCHEVERY DETAILFULL HD
England vs Sri Lanka - ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026Tom Dulat / ICC
35+Cameras at every match
45Live match broadcastsIncluding tournament warm-ups
150+Hours of live world feed coverage
350Broadcast crew members
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BROADCAST
More women shaping the broadcast.
+143%
Increase in women on the broadcast team
Women in the broadcast crew
2024~28
202668
Source: supplied broadcast workforce figures. The 2024 baseline is approximate; headcount growth is rounded.
GLOBAL LANGUAGE COVERAGE
14
Languages. More ways into the game.
Live-produced feeds and AI-produced coverage helped more fans follow the tournament in their language.
English world feed for all matches. Additional live-produced and AI-produced coverage expanded access.
THE GAME IN MORE VOICES
Cricket. Your Way.
Chapter 07 / The partnerships
More than a presence. A lasting impact.
Commercial partnerships connected cricket with communities, culture and new audiences. Partner investment and the scale of commercial opportunity grew by more than 100% compared with 2024.
100%+Growth in partner investment and the scale of commercial opportunity vs 2024
650Cricket kits to be distributed through DP World’s Beyond Boundaries Initiative
The Budweiser DJ stage entertained fans throughout the tournament. Fans also had the chance to collect Budweiser × ICC Women’s T20 World Cup branded cups.
DJ stageMatchday entertainment
Branded cupsA tournament keepsake
DP WORLD · BEYOND BOUNDARIES
Delivering the next innings.
The Beyond Boundaries Initiative turns the tournament into opportunities to play. Watch the full DP World film on the logistics behind grassroots cricket.
Powered by live match data and a proprietary performance model, the Aramco Power Rating turns complex statistics into an intuitive score. Updated after every over, it helps new fans follow the game and gives experienced fans, commentators and digital platforms a consistent way to explain performance and momentum.
The Tournament Score extends that story across the competition. It informed the Player of the Tournament shortlist, before fan and expert votes combined to determine the winner.
FROM PERFORMANCE TO STORY
01Live match data
02Performance model
03Over-by-over rating
04Tournament Score
05POTT shortlist
06Fan + expert votes
A MATCH SNAPSHOT · POWER RATINGS / 10
Ellyse PerrySolid Performer7.94
Harmanpreet KaurStrong Contributor8.65
As shown in the supplied Australia v India, Match 30 app screen. Match ratings shown here are not Tournament Scores.
What the ratings mean
Match Dominator
9.50 – 10.00
Match Influencer
9.00 – 9.49
Strong Contributor
8.00 – 8.99
Solid Performer
7.00 – 7.99
Supporting Role
5.00 – 6.99
MORE WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPACT
New connections. Lasting experiences.
NEW GENERATIONS
ICC × Hello Kitty
A first-of-its-kind Sanrio collaboration spanning licensed merchandise, collectables, in-venue activations and digital fan experiences.
The partnership launch at The Oval · ICC
CROSS-SPORT CONNECTIONS
Cricket meets football. And racing.
Emirates brought Arsenal Women together with Indian and South African cricketers. DP World’s McLaren crossover saw Ella Lloyd present the trophy before a match.
Children, young adults and volunteers took part in matchday ceremonies across the tournament.
MARRIOTT BONVOY
Anthem Kids
Standing alongside the players. Sharing the occasion.
PEARS
Flag Bearers
Young participants helping bring the ceremony to life.
Coca-Cola recycled plastic anthem flags
COCA-COLA · SUSTAINABILITY
10
Flags with another innings.
Giant national anthem flags made from recycled plastic were reused across the tournament.
THE WIDER OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN’S SPORT
Role models. Reasons to invest.
Broader attitudes among younger women aged 16–30 in the UK survey cohort.
70%Said female athletes’ success shows girls can achieve anything they set their minds to
69%Said brands and sponsors should invest more in women’s sport
66%Viewed successful female athletes as a powerful force for social change in England
Nielsen Women in Sports Survey · Younger-women cohort: 500 respondents aged 16–30. These are broader women’s-sport attitudes, separate from the tournament-impact findings.
Chapter 08 / Protecting the Players & the Game
Safe to compete. Free to thrive.
Clean competition. Medical care. Safer online spaces. A support system built around the people who make the tournament possible.
76Anti-doping tests across the tournament
326Participants received pre-event integrity briefingsPlayers, support staff and match officials
24/7Integrity Intelligence DeskAcross the pre-event and tournament period
CLEAN & FAIR COMPETITION
76 tests. One commitment.
Testing supported clean competition and the integrity of the game.
48
Out-of-competition
No advance notice blood and urine tests
28
In-competition
Match-day tests
INTEGRITY, AROUND THE CLOCK
Always on. Always alert.
3
Anti-Corruption Managers deployed
4
Intelligence / investigation support capability
Pre-event briefings reinforced threat awareness and confidential reporting channels for 326 participants.
CARE ACROSS THE TOURNAMENT
A medical network. From planning to match day.
9Members of the Tournament Medical Advisory GroupMet regularly before the event to support medical planning and delivery
12Team DoctorsOne with each participating team
15Match Day DoctorsLevel 3 PHICIS or equivalent
10Venues with medical cover
10
Venues supported by dedicated safety and security planning and operational oversight.7 match venues + 3 warm-up venues
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Knowledge. Confidence. Support.
Pre-event education helped make pelvic health a conversation players could have, with confidential research informing future support.
180Players received pre-event pelvic health educationAwareness, symptom recognition and reducing stigma
114Players completed an anonymous pelvic health surveyInsight into concerns and their potential impact in cricket
SUPPORTING EVERY STAGE OF A CAREER
A pathway back after pregnancy.
Launched on 22 June 2026, the ICC’s Return to Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines help Members shape individualised support for returning players. The framework brings together recovery, wellbeing, training and ongoing review, alongside practical family considerations.
The ICC programme with Freedom2hear had nearly 150 women cricketers enrolled, including 50+ new sign-ups before the tournament. All 12 teams were protected, as well as the ICC, umpires and broadcasters.
Close to seven in ten tournament comments were positive.
A positive digital story, supported by active player protection.
826,165Total comments analysed
235,748Harmful content hidden
406Users blocked
Full-tournament online player protection totals. Source: supplied end-of-tournament figures.
Sources: supplied end-of-tournament online protection and comment sentiment figures; supplied tournament medical, anti-doping, integrity, security and match-official figures; ICC releases dated 22 June 2026 and 26 June 2026.
Chapter 09 / The legacy
The next innings starts here.
The final ball was only the beginning. Local programmes and global Member activations turned the tournament into an invitation to play.
SCHOOLS CRICKET DAY
236,000+
Children picked up the game.
More than 1,350 schools across England and Wales took part in cricket activities, 50 days before the tournament began.
WHERE CRICKET BEGINS
Schools and colleges. The first way into the game.
Schools and colleges were the primary entry point into cricket among survey participants who had played the sport.
52%Girls aged 7–15 who had played cricketParent-reported37%Younger women aged 16–30 who had played cricket
Introduced to cricket through school or college. Source: Nielsen Women in Sports Survey. Bases: those who had played cricket in each cohort; subgroup counts were not supplied.
More than a dozen Members hosted watch parties. Thirty-five received dedicated live broadcast call-outs. Women’s Cricket Week generated more than 100 videos and 3.2 million views.
35Members received dedicated live broadcast call-outs
100+Women’s Cricket Week videos
3.2MWomen’s Cricket Week video views
55ICC MembersParticipated in Women’s Cricket Week
13,000+Women and girls engagedThrough Women’s Cricket Week celebrations
NIELSEN WOMEN IN SPORTS SURVEY
A shift in perception. An appetite to play.
Reported tournament impact among respondents who engaged with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Two perspectives on the tournament’s impact
Reported impact
Girls aged 7–15 Parent-reported · n=64
Women aged 16–30 n=59
Helped change the perception that cricket is only a sport for men
81%
73%
Increased interest in joining a cricket club or academy
81%
63%
Increased interest in playing cricket
75%
59%
Believed the tournament would positively impact women’s sport in England
80%
68%
Believed the tournament would create a lasting legacy of support for women’s sport
77%
69%
Said the tournament showed cricket can build confidence and empowerment for women
78%
71%
Who took part? This online quantitative UK study surveyed 1,000 respondents: 500 women aged 16–30 and 500 parents of girls aged 7–15.
Tournament-impact base: 59 younger women and 64 respondents in the parent-reported girls cohort who engaged with the tournament. These percentages describe those engaged subgroups, rather than all 1,000 respondents. Findings about girls were reported by parents; girls were not surveyed directly.
Source: supplied Nielsen Women in Sports Survey.
From the host nation to the next cricket nation.
~900China
Young women in school and university programmes
700+Cameroon
Women’s Cricket Week participants
630+Ghana
Women’s Cricket Week participants
550+Mozambique
Women’s Cricket Week participants
400+Brazil
Participants in a criiio cup competition
~600Timor-Leste
Girls and women introduced to cricket
SPIRIT SQUAD · THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME
The welcome. The energy. The Spirit Squad.
Behind every matchday, a team of volunteers helped bring the tournament to life.
Consecutive all-female panel at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Officials featured 14 umpires and four match referees.
CRICKET 4 GOOD
Up close. Inspired to play.
600+Young aspiring cricketersIn Cricket 4 Good team sessions
PLAY FOR UNICEF
A match. A shared purpose.
ENGLAND v WEST INDIES · LORD’S · 24 JUNE
The England v West Indies match at Lord’s on 24 June brought UNICEF into the stadium and broadcast experience through the matchday takeover, with donation prompts, anthem ceremony involvement and UNICEF UK Supporter, Nabhaan Rizwan.
The tournament reached newsrooms across the world, with journalists, photographers and broadcasters covering a landmark summer for the women’s game.
256Accredited mediaFrom 13 countries
38,700+Articles featuring the tournament
13,500+Headline articles on the tournament
On the ground.
The tournament welcomed 256 accredited media representatives. The Hampshire Bowl double-header drew 146 accredited personnel, followed by 100 at the Final. Lord’s averaged 68 reporters per match.
The sentiment.
65.3% neutral32.5% positive2.2% other*
*Remaining share calculated from the neutral and positive figures in the supplied report.
THE LAST BALL. THE NEXT CHAPTER.
Champions. Again.
Australia’s seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title, sealed at Lord’s.
Australia celebrate their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup title.ICC / Getty ImagesA trophy kiss in front of London’s Tower Bridge.ICC / Getty Images
A TOURNAMENT. A TURNING POINT.
THE NEXT CHAPTER IS HERS.
More opportunity. Stronger pathways. More fans, communities and markets.
READ THE FEATURE ↗
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THE NEW STANDARD1080p
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