Women’s T20 World Cup not happening in Bangladesh
The concerns have finally turned into reality, and the Women’s T20 World Cup is being moved out of Bangladesh
The highly-anticipated ninth edition of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup will now be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will continue as the official host of the event.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 3 to 20, across two venues in the UAE—Dubai and Sharjah.
ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice confirmed the decision in a statement, expressing disappointment that the tournament could not be hosted in Bangladesh as originally planned.
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"It is a shame not to be hosting the Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event," Allardice said. "I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn't feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future."
Allardice also extended his gratitude to the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host the tournament and acknowledged the support from Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, who had also offered to host the event.
"I'd also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026."
The UAE, which is home to the ICC headquarters, has become a significant hub for cricket in recent years. It has hosted numerous qualifier tournaments and even the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021, alongside Oman. With its world-class facilities and infrastructure, the UAE is well-equipped to stage the Women's T20 World Cup.
The country's growing prominence in the sport is also evident in the rise of both its men's and women's teams, which are currently ranked 16th in the ICC T20I Team Rankings.
This decision to relocate the tournament from Bangladesh to the UAE underscores the challenging situation in Bangladesh and the ICC's commitment to ensuring a successful and secure event.
