Emirates Old Trafford to host ICC Women's T20 World Cup

Emirates Old Trafford - the home of Lancashire Cricket - is proud to announce it has been selected as an official host venue for next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

The announcement marks a significant milestone for both the historic venue and women’s cricket in the North West, reinforcing the Club’s commitment to advancing gender equality in sport and providing a world-class stage for the global game.

Emirates Old Trafford will host the ICC Women's T20 World Cup for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the venue. Renowned for its rich legacy in international cricket, the stadium holds the distinction of hosting more ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup matches (17) than any other ground globally, across five tournaments in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1999, and 2019.

This summer, the venue will host its first women’s international match in over a decade when England Women face India Women in a Vitality IT20 on Wednesday, 9 July. The Club is looking to set a new record for the highest women’s international crowd in the north, currently held by Headingley of 9,146. You can grab tickets here. 

Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive of Lancashire Cricket, said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome next year’s ICC Women's T20 World Cup to Emirates Old Trafford for the very first time. This moment reflects both the growth of the women’s game and our ongoing commitment to hosting world-class cricket events for all.

“At Lancashire Cricket, we’re incredibly proud to have been leading the way in women’s cricket, showing innovation and leadership in this space over the last few years. From investing in our changing rooms back in 2022, women’s headline double-headers, pre-season tours over the last four years – whilst also driving commercial value and interest from sponsors including Hilton and Sportsbreaks.com - we’re committed to driving lasting change and setting the standard.

“We see next summer as a huge opportunity to showcase the best in the world of women’s cricket and to increase our ever-growing fanbase in the region. Following our 15-year redevelopment process, Emirates Old Trafford is one of the leading destinations in world sport and we are looking forward to showing the world all of what our venue has to offer, in addition to placing further spotlight on Greater Manchester.

“We look forward to working with the ICC and ECB over the coming 12 months to ensure another successful World Cup is held in the UK.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, commented: “We are incredibly excited by the news that Emirates Old Trafford will be a host for the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, an event which will once again shine a global spotlight upon Greater Manchester.

“Greater Manchester has a proud reputation for hosting elite sport and welcoming a global audience into our city and, following the incredibly successful men’s 50-over World Cup back in 2019, this time we are looking forward to seeing the best in the world from women’s cricket performing at Emirates Old Trafford.

“The Women’s T20 World Cup will form a huge part of next year’s sporting calendar, and we are looking forward to working with everyone at Lancashire Cricket to ensure an incredibly successful event takes place.”

England and Lancashire bowler, Kate Cross added: “It feels like we’ve waited a long time to host international women’s cricket at Emirates Old Trafford so to host an WIT20 this summer, followed by the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup next year will be great for the North West and Manchester to get more people watching women’s cricket.

“It’s great for the Club and our area and hopefully we’ll put on a great show for everyone coming to watch. We’ve seen how inspiring the home Cricket World Cups have been previously in 2017 and 2019 so let’s hope we win the competition again on home soil and help inspire the next generation.”

Further information on match schedules, tickets and hospitality will be announced in due course.

Supporters can register their interest in attending next year’s ICC Women's T20 World Cup here.