Published: January 7, 2026 at 4:38 pm
The race to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 gathers momentum as the Global Qualifier gets underway in Nepal from January 14 to February 1, bringing together 10 teams competing for the four final places at the event in England and Wales, says an ICC release.
The Qualifier will be hosted across Kathmandu, with matches scheduled at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground and the Mulpani Cricket Ground (Upper & Lower).
The tournament begins on Wednesday, with a packed opening day. Bangladesh will face Netherlands, Zimbabwe will take on Papua New Guinea and hosts Nepal meet Ireland in the morning games, after which Namibia play Thailand and USA go head-to-head with Scotland in the afternoon.
Morning and afternoon double-headers are scheduled throughout the event. Morning games start at 9 a.m. local time, while afternoon games begin at 1 p.m. local time.
The event begins with the teams split into two groups of five, with each side facing the others in their group during the opening round.
Group A features Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and the United States, while Group B includes Nepal, Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
The top three teams in each group will advance to the Super 6s. The six teams will then face each other in a round-robin format, and the top four teams will confirm their place in the World Cup that is scheduled to be held in England and Wales in June and July this year.
Qualifier Fixtures: January 14: 9 AM: Bangladesh vs Netherlands, TU Cricket Ground; Zimbabwe vs Papua New Guinea, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground; Nepal vs Ireland, Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Namibia vs Thailand, TU Cricket Ground; USA vs Scotland, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 16: 9 AM: Ireland vs Zimbabwe, TU Cricket Ground; Papua New Guinea vs Scotland, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground; Netherlands vs Namibia, Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Nepal vs USA, TU Cricket Ground; Thailand vs Bangladesh, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 19: 9 AM: Nepal vs Thailand, TU Cricket Ground; USA vs Bangladesh, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Zimbabwe vs Netherlands, TU Cricket Ground; Ireland vs Papua New Guinea, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 20: 9 AM: Papua New Guinea vs Bangladesh, TU Cricket Ground; Zimbabwe vs Thailand, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Scotland vs Netherlands, TU Cricket Ground; Namibia vs USA, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 22: 9 AM: Nepal vs Netherlands, TU Cricket Ground; Ireland vs USA, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Bangladesh vs Namibia, TU Cricket Ground; Scotland vs Zimbabwe, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 24: 9 AM: Thailand vs Scotland, TU Cricket Ground; Papua New Guinea vs Namibia, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Nepal vs Zimbabwe, TU Cricket Ground; Bangladesh vs Ireland, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 26: 9 AM: Nepal vs Scotland, TU Cricket Ground; USA vs Papua New Guinea, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: Namibia vs Ireland, TU Cricket Ground; Netherlands vs Thailand, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
January 28: 9 AM: QB2 vs QA2, TU Cricket Ground; QB2 vs QA1, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: QA2 vs QB1, TU Cricket Ground.
January 30: 9 AM: QA1 vs QB2, TU Cricket Ground; QA2 vs QB1, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: QB2 vs QB3, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
February 1: 9 AM: QA2 vs QB3, TU Cricket Ground; QA1 vs QB1, Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground. 1 PM: QB2 vs QA3, TU Cricket Ground.
Warm-up matches: January 14 (morning): Bangladesh v Netherlands (Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground), Zimbabwe v Papua New Guinea (Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground); Nepal v Ireland (Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground). Afternoon: Namibia v Thailand (Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground), USA v Scotland (Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground)
January 16 (morning): Ireland v Zimbabwe (Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground), Papua New Guinea v Scotland (Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground), Netherlands v Namibia (Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground). Afternoon: Nepal v USA (Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground), Thailand v Bangladesh (Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground).
