The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the schedule for the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 as the top eight teams of the world are set to battle it out for the biggest prize in women's cricket. The tournament will begin on September 30 with hosts India taking on Sri Lanka in the opener on September 30 in Bengaluru, with the final set to be played in either Colombo or Bengaluru on November 2.
The tournament will be played in a single round-robin stage with all eight teams facing each other once, similar to what was in the 2022 ODI World Cup. Four Indian venues - Bengaluru, Indore, Guwahati and Vizag - and Sri Lanka's Colombo will be hosting all 31 matches - 28 league stage and three knockout ones.
India to play at all venues, Pakistan clash lined up in Colombo
The hosts India will be playing at all four venues at home and the lone Sri Lanka venue in the tournament. They will play twice in Bengaluru and twice in Vizag with a chance to play at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium more if they make their way to the semifinal and then to the final as the Bengaluru-based venue will host the second semifinal and, if Pakistan does not make it, then the final too.
India will kick off their campaign against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, followed by the high-octane clash against Pakistan in Colombo on October 5. The hosts will then lay their camp at Visakhapatnam's ACA-VDCA Stadium as they take on South Africa and then defending champions Australia at the venue on October 9 and 12.
The Women in Blue will then travel to Indore's Holkar Stadium for their clash against 2017 champions England on October 19, followed by their second-last league stage fixture against New Zealand in Guwahati on October 23 before the hosts cap off the league stage with the fixture against Bangladesh in Bengaluru on October 26.
Australia are the reigning champions of the tournament and are the most successful team with seven ODI World titles to their name, followed by England, who have four World Cups with them. Apart from these two, New Zealand have won the World Cup too, winning it in 2000 after beating Australia. India are in hunt for their maiden senior Women's title and have finished runners-up twice, once in 2005 to Australia and then in 2017 to England.
