Women’s World Cup opens on September 30 with eight teams, record purse

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The Women’s Cricket World Cup kicks off on September 30, with matches in India and Sri Lanka and the final set for November 2.

Eight teams are in. Australia, winners seven times, lead the pack. England have four titles. New Zealand’s lone triumph came in 2000. India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are all still waiting for one. The format is straight forward. No groups. Everyone plays each other once. Seven games each. The top four advance to semifinals on October 29 and 30, before the final.

India will stage matches in Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam and Navi Mumbai. Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium is Sri Lanka’s only venue. There are 28 group fixtures in all, mostly afternoon starts at 3 p.m. local. One exception is England vs New Zealand on October 26, which begins in the morning.

Warm-ups start September 25. Each team has two matches, except Australia, who meet England once in Bengaluru on September 27.

The ICC has raised the prize pool to $13.88 million. That’s nearly four times the amount from 2022 and more than the purse for the men’s World Cup in 2023.

Broadcasters will carry the tournament worldwide, with ICC.tv also streaming. Organizers are counting on the biggest audience the women’s game has ever had.