Women's T20 World Cup 2026: England, June Squad Watch

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 begins at the Kia Oval on Friday, 12 June and runs to the final at Lord's on Sunday, 5 July. England host for the first time since the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup in 2009 — when Charlotte Edwards lifted the trophy on home soil, 17 years before her return as head coach for this campaign. Twelve teams, two groups, the showpiece final at the Home of Cricket. This piece walks through the squad-watch points for the six sides most likely to lift the trophy.

A note on dates. The Women's T20 World Cup is 12 June to 5 July 2026 in England, per the ICC tournament page. It is not the Women's Asia Cup Rising Stars (Bangkok, February-March 2026) and not the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in India — that India edition is the Women's ODI World Cup window, a different tournament. The June-July England event is the global T20 cycle.

The schedule shape

The tournament runs across English county venues — the Kia Oval, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, Headingley, the County Ground at Bristol, and the New Road at Worcester — with the marquee fixtures at Lord's. The headline date for the Indian and Australian audience: India v Australia at Lord's on Sunday, 28 June, the first time the women's edition of that fixture has been played at Lord's in front of a sold-out crowd, per ICC pre-tournament coverage.

Group structure

• Group A: Australia, India, South Africa, Pakistan, plus two qualifiers from the qualification pathway (Bangladesh and Netherlands among the names confirmed by the ICC squad release).
• Group B: England (hosts), New Zealand (defending champions), West Indies, plus three other sides through the second qualifier route.

Top three from each group progress to a six-team Super Six stage; the top four after Super Six play the semi-finals; the final is at Lord's on 5 July.

Australia — chasing a seventh title

Australia have won six Women's T20 World Cup titles, the most by any nation, and arrive in England as one of the two pre-tournament favourites. The squad rebuilds around the senior core but with a measurable refresh after the 2023 cycle.

Squad watch. Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Alyssa Healy (captain), Phoebe Litchfield, Tayla Vlaeminck. The two storylines: whether Vlaeminck's body holds across a 24-day tournament and whether Litchfield's recent BBL form pushes her into the top three ahead of Healy.

Captaincy. Alyssa Healy continues as captain across formats. Her wicketkeeping workload through the tournament is a frequent flag in cricket.com.au's player-watch coverage.

Verdict. Title contender. The favourites in any tournament Australia enter, but the Group A draw with India is harder than the Group B draw New Zealand will face.

India — Cricket World Cup 2025 champions chasing the double

India arrive as the reigning Cricket World Cup champions, having won the ODI title at Mumbai in November 2025 — and with Harmanpreet Kaur publicly stating before the squad release that she rates her side as favourites, per the Olympics.com squad coverage.

Squad watch. Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar. The wider 15 includes Yastika Bhatia, Nandani Sharma and Radha Yadav, per ESPNcricinfo's squad release.

Captaincy. Harmanpreet Kaur leads. The lower-order finishing role is Richa Ghosh's; the new-ball spell is Renuka Singh's; the spin attack is Deepti Sharma plus Radha Yadav.

Verdict. Title contender. India's batting depth is the deepest in the tournament; the question is whether the bowling unit can defend a 150-160 score on a good Lord's surface.

England — host advantage and the Charlotte Edwards effect

England have won the Women's T20 World Cup once — in 2009, on home soil, with Charlotte Edwards as captain — and arrive in the 2026 tournament with Edwards now as head coach. The sentimental case for an England title is loud; the cricket case is more measured.

Squad watch. Per the ECB squad announcement covered by ICC: Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Charlie Dean (vice-captain), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones (wicketkeeper), Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

Captaincy. Sciver-Brunt's first major ICC tournament as captain across formats. The middle-order responsibility falls to her and Knight; Ecclestone leads the spin attack.

Verdict. Semi-final probable, final possible. England's home advantage is real but the bowling unit's death-overs work is the variable.

South Africa — the third-favourites case

South Africa lost the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup final at home to Australia and arrive in 2026 with a squad that has matured. The bowling depth is the league's most-improved.

Squad watch. Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen.

Captaincy. Wolvaardt leads after taking over from Sune Luus across the 2024 cycle.

Verdict. Semi-final favourite. The Group A draw is brutal but South Africa have the bowlers to defend low totals in English conditions.

New Zealand — defending champions on a tougher draw

New Zealand won the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup in the UAE — Sophie Devine's lifting moment — and arrive in 2026 as defending champions. The squad has aged a season; the captaincy succession question hangs over the tournament.

Squad watch. Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Maddy Green, Bella James.

Captaincy. Devine continues as captain across formats. Whether this is her final ICC tournament is the line every New Zealand reporter has been pushing through 2026.

Verdict. Semi-final probable, but the title defence is a stretch. The Group B draw with England is the immediate concern.

West Indies — the dark-horse case

West Indies won the 2016 Women's T20 World Cup and have been rebuilding since the 2022 cycle. The 2026 squad is the most settled the side has fielded since Stafanie Taylor's peak.

Squad watch. Hayley Matthews (captain), Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Aaliyah Alleyne.

Captaincy. Matthews leads.

Verdict. Quarterfinal-likely, semi-final possible. The Group B draw is friendlier than India's or Australia's.

The favourites — and the dark horses

• Title favourites: Australia and India.
• Semi-final favourites: South Africa, New Zealand, England.
• Dark horses: West Indies, Pakistan.
• Group-stage shocker possible: Bangladesh in Group A; Netherlands in either group as a qualifier.

The pre-tournament line in Wisden's predicted England XI and the ICC two-favourites preview is the same: this is Australia v India until proven otherwise.

What to watch on each match-day

• Group A India v Australia at Lord's, 28 June. The fixture that frames the tournament. Whoever wins this is most likely the title favourite from the Super Six stage onwards.
• Group B England v New Zealand at Edgbaston, 19 June. The home-vs-defending-champions tone-setter for Group B.
• The semi-finals at the Kia Oval and Headingley, 1 July and 2 July. The two ground rotations matter — the Oval is a higher-scoring venue than Headingley in late June.
• The final at Lord's, 5 July. The first Women's T20 World Cup final at Lord's since the 2009 tournament.

For more women's cricket reading, see our broader Women's T20 World Cup 2026 favourites and dark horses analysis and the WPL 2027 early auction preview.

The verdict

This is the best Women's T20 World Cup field assembled to date. The number of sides that can credibly win the trophy — six — is the highest in any World Cup of either gender since 2009. The home advantage matters less than it did 17 years ago because the away sides arrive into England on the back of a full WPL season for the South Asian players, the SA20-equivalent and CWC for South Africa, and a structured BBL pathway for Australia and New Zealand.

Prediction, with the caveats every pre-tournament prediction carries: India to beat Australia in the final at Lord's on 5 July. Harmanpreet Kaur to lift the trophy.

FAQ

When is the Women's T20 World Cup 2026?

12 June to 5 July 2026, hosted in England. The final is at Lord's on Sunday, 5 July.

Where is the final?

At Lord's on Sunday, 5 July 2026.

Which teams are favourites?

Australia and India are the two pre-tournament favourites, per ICC and Wisden coverage. South Africa, New Zealand and host England are the next tier of contenders.

Are India the defending champions?

No — defending champions are New Zealand, who won the 2024 edition in the UAE. India are the reigning Cricket World Cup (ODI) champions from November 2025.

Where can I find the full squad list?

The ICC's squads page carries every confirmed 15-player squad. cricket.com.au has an Australia-specific roundup covering all participating nations.

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— Olivia Carson, CricJosh Australia & New Zealand correspondent. May 2026.