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Pakistan is set to host the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, which will determine the final two teams for the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup in India. The six-team tournament is expected to begin on April 4, 2025, with Lahore as the likely host city.
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Six Teams to Battle for Two World Cup Spots
The Women’s World Cup Qualifier will feature:
✅ Pakistan (Hosts)
✅ Bangladesh
✅ West Indies
✅ Ireland
✅ Scotland
✅ Thailand
The top two teams from this competition will join the already-qualified nations—India, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand—in the eight-team Women’s World Cup scheduled for October 2025 in India.
Significance of the Tournament & India-Pakistan Dynamic
This event holds special importance due to the diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan and the recent agreement between the BCCI and PCB regarding global matches. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has acted as a mediator to ensure that any India-Pakistan match takes place at a neutral venue, a policy currently being followed in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
If Pakistan qualifies for the World Cup, a major discussion point will be whether their match against India will be played in a third country instead of India. A similar arrangement was followed in the 2013 Women’s World Cup, where Pakistan played its matches in Cuttack instead of Mumbai due to security concerns.
Logistical Challenges & PSL Clash
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 is scheduled to begin on April 11, which could create a scheduling conflict for the Women’s World Cup Qualifier. The PCB and ICC will need to work together to avoid overlapping dates and ensure smooth organization of both events.
Return of ICC Events to Pakistan
This qualifier marks another major ICC event in Pakistan, following the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, which is the first ICC tournament in the country in 29 years. The last global event Pakistan hosted was the 1996 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka. Since then, security concerns had kept major ICC events away from the country.
With international cricket gradually returning to Pakistan, the Women’s World Cup Qualifier will be another significant milestone for the nation’s cricketing revival.
