ICC announces new Women's Emerging Nations Trophy; schedule and dates inside

Thailand Women's Cricket team [Source: @ThailandCricket/X.com]

Following the success of the Women's ODI World Cup 2025, ICC have announced the launch of a groundbreaking Women's tournament. The apex cricket body is set to launch the ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy, involving eight teams from four continents, which will be played in November.

The tournament will be hosted by Bangkok and is slated for a 10-day playing window, from November 20 to November 30. The participating teams will be Thailand, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, UAE, Scotland, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda.

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Viewership and cricket promotion reason behind launch

While some of the teams that are set to participate in the brand new tournament are known names in Men's cricket, Women's Cricket is taking a huge leap by including these countries in this 'Emerging Nations' tournament. 

In an official statement, ICC shared their intention to include these eight teams to expand exposure and spread awareness of cricket across genders.

"Nearly 300,000 fans attended matches across India and Sri Lanka and the event concluded with India becoming the first Asian team to lift the Women's Cricket World Cup, a watershed moment in the evolution of the sport and the socio-cultural context of gender roles," an ICC statement said. 

Another major driver behind the launch of this new tournament is the lucrative viewership that the Women's ODI World Cup garnered. "More than 500 million viewers in India" and viewership records in other countries went through the roof, too.

Hence, arranging another major tournament in Asia seems to be the cheat code for garnering eyeballs, as per ICC. Nevertheless, the ICC chief executive also shared that it's also about promoting cricket in those countries and upscaling the competitiveness across borders.

"It also drives the visibility of the sport in participant nations, serving as a driver of girls' involvement in the sport and inspires women from other nations to stay committed to the development pathways," ICC official stated.

ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy: Full schedule, venues, teams

The curtain raiser of the tournament will see Thailand face off against the Netherlands and PNG battle the UAE on November 20.

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