The ICC has announced that the 12-team Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 will run from September 7 to October 1, with Pakistan as the main host. The announcement came on Friday, and attention has already turned to where India’s matches will be played. The Women’s T20 World Cup could follow the hybrid model used for the 2025 Champions Trophy, with India’s games staged at a neutral venue.
A PCB official told PTI that Pakistan wants to host all matches, including group and knockout games not involving India. “We would like to host matches of both groups and the knockout matches where the Indian team is not involved,” the official said.
The UAE is being considered as the neutral venue for India’s matches. The PCB source said: “UAE will probably be the neutral venue of choice for everyone because the travel between Pakistan and Dubai is short, and logistics becomes less expensive and easier to handle.”
Why the Women’s T20 World Cup needs a hybrid model
The hybrid arrangement is now familiar territory for India-Pakistan cricket. It dates back to the agreement between the two boards after the 2023 Asia Cup, when political tensions made bilateral travel impossible. The model lets Pakistan keep hosting rights while India play their matches elsewhere.
The precedent is fresh. At the Champions Trophy 2025, India played all of their games in the UAE while Pakistan hosted 10 of the 15 matches. The Women’s T20 World Cup would extend the arrangement to the women’s game, following the same template, with Pakistan hosting everything except the fixtures involving India.
Logistics favour the UAE option. The PCB source pointed to the short travel between Pakistan and Dubai, which keeps costs down and simplifies planning for teams, officials and broadcasters. The Women’s T20 World Cup would lean on that practicality if the hybrid plan is confirmed.
Where the final will be played
The venue for the final depends on India’s progress. If India do not qualify for the title clash, the final would be staged in Lahore. If India reach the final, the venue shifts under the hybrid arrangement, with the neutral venue hosting the decider.
The arrangement means Pakistan could still stage both semi-finals and the final, provided India are not involved in those games. The PCB official’s comments to PTI make clear that the board wants the maximum possible share of the tournament on home soil.
A Women’s T20 World Cup boost for Pakistan
Hosts receive an ICC hosting fee plus funds for organisational expenses, and the PCB source said the event would boost women’s cricket in Pakistan. Staging a global women’s event would be a landmark for the game in the country, which has invested in its women’s programme in recent years.
The 2028 edition will be the first Women’s T20 World Cup held in Pakistan. With the hybrid model now an accepted solution, the focus turns to the cricket, and to whether the home side can make the most of playing a world event on familiar pitches.
For Pakistan, hosting a 12-team world event is a significant undertaking. The ICC hosting fee and organisational funding will support the tournament, and the PCB believes the Women’s T20 World Cup can lift the profile of women’s cricket in the country. The final venue plan will be confirmed closer to the tournament.
The tournament will feature 12 teams playing across September and October, with the group stage leading into the knockouts. Pakistan’s bid to host the bulk of those games, including both semi-finals, shows how much the board values the event and the visibility it brings.
The Women’s T20 World Cup will put Pakistan’s women’s cricket programme in the spotlight. The PCB source’s comments to PTI suggest the board sees the event as a chance to grow the game at home, with the hosting fee and organisational funding backing the effort. The 12 teams will learn their full schedule when the ICC releases the fixtures.