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ICC Women's Cricket World Cup

Cricket · International Cricket Council (ICC), which first ran the 2009 edition

2025HolderIndia (2025, beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at Navi Mumbai)

The Women's Cricket World Cup is the world championship of one-day cricket for women's national teams. It was first played in England in 1973, two years before the first men's World Cup, and England won it.

Next
2029, 10 teams; host not yet named
Most titles
Australia, 7 (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013, 2022)
India
1 title (2025); 3 finals (2005, 2017, 2025)
Cycle
Irregular: three to six years apart

Editions

India on the podium

Show a country

  1. 2029to be playedHosts: not yet named
    Teams
    10
  2. 2025India 298/7 (50)Result of the final: India won by 52 runs · Runners-up: South Africa 246 (45.3) · Hosts: India, Sri Lanka
    Final venue
    DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
    Winning captain
    Harmanpreet Kaur
    Teams
    8
  3. 2022Australia 356/5 (50)Result of the final: Australia won by 71 runs · Runners-up: England 285 (43.4) · Hosts: New Zealand
    Final venue
    Hagley Oval, Christchurch
    Winning captain
    Meg Lanning
    Teams
    8
  4. 2017England 228/7 (50)Result of the final: England won by 9 runs · Runners-up: India 219 (48.4) · Hosts: England
    Final venue
    Lord's, London
    Winning captain
    Heather Knight
    Teams
    8
  5. 2013Australia 259/7 (50)Result of the final: Australia won by 114 runs · Runners-up: West Indies 145 (43.1) · Hosts: India
    Final venue
    Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
    Winning captain
    Jodie Fields
    Teams
    8
  6. 2009England 167/6 (46.1)Result of the final: England won by 4 wickets · Runners-up: New Zealand 166 (47.2) · Hosts: Australia
    Final venue
    North Sydney Oval, Sydney
    Winning captain
    Charlotte Edwards
    Teams
    8
  7. 2005Australia 215/4 (50)Result of the final: Australia won by 98 runs · Runners-up: India 117 (46) · Hosts: South Africa
    Final venue
    SuperSport Park, Centurion
    Winning captain
    Belinda Clark
    Teams
    8
  8. 2000New Zealand 184 (48.4)Result of the final: New Zealand won by 4 runs · Runners-up: Australia 180 (49.1) · Hosts: New Zealand
    Final venue
    Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln
    Winning captain
    Emily Drumm
    Teams
    8
  9. 1997Australia 165/5 (47.4)Result of the final: Australia won by 5 wickets · Runners-up: New Zealand 164 (49.3) · Hosts: India
    Final venue
    Eden Gardens, Kolkata
    Winning captain
    Belinda Clark
    Teams
    11
  10. 1993England 195/5 (60)Result of the final: England won by 67 runs · Runners-up: New Zealand 128 (55.1) · Hosts: England
    Final venue
    Lord's, London
    Winning captain
    Karen Smithies
    Teams
    8
  11. 1988Australia 129/2 (44.5)Result of the final: Australia won by 8 wickets · Runners-up: England 127/7 (60) · Hosts: Australia
    Final venue
    Melbourne Cricket Ground
    Winning captain
    Sharon Tredrea
    Teams
    5
  12. 1982Australia 152/7 (59)Result of the final: Australia won by 3 wickets · Runners-up: England 151/5 (60) · Hosts: New Zealand
    Final venue
    Lancaster Park, Christchurch
    Winning captain
    Sharon Tredrea
    Teams
    5
  13. 1978Australia, 6 pointsResult of the final: Australia top of the table, unbeaten · Runners-up: England, 4 points · Hosts: India
    Final venue
    No final: league table
    Winning captain
    Margaret Jennings
    Teams
    4
  14. 1973England, 20 pointsResult of the final: England top of the table by three points · Runners-up: Australia, 17 points · Hosts: England
    Final venue
    No final: league table
    Winning captain
    Rachael Heyhoe Flint
    Teams
    7

What the ICC pages confirm. Winner and runner-up for every edition to 2022; 2025 is from Al Jazeera's report, as no ICC report of the final was read. The margin is stated by the ICC for 1973 (on points), 1982, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2013. For 2017 it gives India's target, 229, which agrees with England's 228/7. The number of teams is stated for 1973, 1978, 1982, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2013 and 2017.

India at the World Cup

India first played in 1978, at home. It has played 11 of the 13 editions; it missed 1973 and 1988. It reached its first final in 2005, lost the 2017 final to England at Lord's by 9 runs, and won its first title at home in 2025.

YearIndia's finish
19784th of 4 (no win)
19824th
19934th
1997Semi-finals
2000Semi-finals
2005Runners-up
2009
20137th
2017Runners-up
20225th
2025Champions

More about this tournament

Successful teams
TeamTitlesRunners-up
Australia7 (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013, 2022)2 (1973, 2000)
England4 (1973, 1993, 2009, 2017)4 (1978, 1982, 1988, 2022)
New Zealand1 (2000)3 (1993, 1997, 2009)
India1 (2025)2 (2005, 2017)
West Indies01 (2013)
South Africa01 (2025)
History

How it began

The tournament was devised in 1971 by two people from Wolverhampton: Rachael Heyhoe Flint, the England captain, and Jack Hayward, a businessman. Seven teams played in 1973, among them Young England and an International XI, over 60 overs, with the title decided on a league table. England won by beating Australia in the last match.

How the format changed

A final was first played in 1982. Eleven teams played in 1997, the most at any edition. From 2009, the first edition run by the ICC, there was a Super Six stage; 2017 used one league of eight teams and semi-finals. For 2029 the field rises to 10.

Champions by era

Australia and England won the first nine titles between them except New Zealand's at home in 2000. Then Australia won in 2013 and 2022, and England in 2017. In 2025 India became the first champions from outside those three. It was also the first final without Australia or England.

Firsts and facts
  • First edition: 1973, England, two years before the first men's World Cup.
  • First final: 1982, Christchurch.
  • Highest individual score in a final: Alyssa Healy, 170, in 2022.
  • Best bowling in a final: Anya Shrubsole, 6 for 46, in 2017.
  • Lowest completed innings: Pakistan, 27, in 1997.
  • First edition with two hosts: 2025, India and Sri Lanka.