India will host the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027, with Mumbai and Vadodara selected as venues for the six-team T20I tournament from February 14 to 28, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday.
The Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium will stage the landmark event, featuring Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Pakistan will not participate.
The teams qualified based on their positions in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings as of the July 6 cut-off. The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with every side playing the other five teams. The top two will advance to the final on February 28.
The event was originally awarded to Sri Lanka, but the hosting rights were transferred to India amid ongoing governance reforms at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The ICC Board had raised concerns over SLC’s governance at its Annual Conference in July and called for elections to be held at the earliest.
The ICC assessed Bangladesh, India and South Africa as potential replacement hosts before recommending India. The decision was ratified by the ICC Board on September 2.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah said the tournament would bring the best teams together in an “intense, high-quality competition”.
“With a marquee ICC women’s event now taking place every year, we have a significant opportunity to build greater momentum, provide more consistency and create a stronger rhythm for the women’s game, its players and its fans around the world,” Shah said.