New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the next edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup, to be held in 2029, will feature 10 teams, marking a significant step in the tournament’s expansion and global reach.

The decision, approved by the ICC Board in its meeting in Dubai on Friday, aims to provide greater opportunities for emerging nations and strengthen the competitive landscape of women’s cricket on the world stage.

It comes on the back of India winning the tournament at home, with its 52-run win over South Africa in the final watched by 185 million users on JioHotstar, thus equalling the viewership of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final and exceeding the average daily reach of the IPL. Overall, the tournament recorded a reach of 446 million, the highest ever for women’s cricket.

“The ICC reaffirmed its commitment to the growth of Women’s Cricket and heralded the success of ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India as testament to its long-standing faith in the Women’s game. Nearly 300,000 fans watched the event in stadia, breaking the record for tournament attendance for any women’s Cricket event.”

“The tournament also witnessed viewership growth and new records being set for on-screen audiences across the world, with nearly 500 million viewers in India. 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 8 teams in 2025),” said the ICC in its statement.

The ICC Board also ratified the appointment of a number of members of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee, namely Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Ashley De Silva, India’s legendary batter Mithali Raj, India head coach Amol Muzumdar, New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer, England head coach Charlotte Edwards, and Samoa Cricket CEO Sala Stella Siale-Vaea.

The ICC also said it received its first update on ‘Project USA’, which was launched following the suspension of USA Cricket and in line with the ICC’s directive that the commercial and development interests of players in the US national teams should not be negatively impacted by the suspension of the board due to non-compliance.

“The project is focused on building an optimised runway to Cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympic Games and enhancing performance pathways for the US national teams through ongoing participation in ICC Events,” it said.

–IANS

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