ICC launched the inaugural Women’s T-20 Challenge Trophy 2026 in Rwanda

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched the first Women’s T-20 Challenge Trophy 2026 in Rwanda, which started on 18 April, 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda.

It is a five-nation tournament that brings together emerging cricket nations and aims to provide them with valuable international experience and a competitive environment.

The competition will feature Rwanda, Italy, Nepal, USA and Vanuatu, representing different regions of the ICC. These matches will be played at the Gahanga Cricket Stadium.

This tournament will follow a 'double round-robin' format, which means each team will play twice against every other team.

It will continue until 2 May, 2026, ensuring a strong competitive platform for all participants.

This tournament is one of the new events added by the ICC to the international calendar, aimed at providing Associate Member (AM) women’s teams with more match-playing experience.

Along with this, there is also the ‘Emerging Nations Trophy’ - whose first edition was held last November.

This event includes the top-ranked team from each of the ICC’s five regions that did not participate in the ‘Emerging Nations Trophy’.

Women’s T-20 Challenge Trophy

Vanuatu will start its campaign on 19 April against host nation Rwanda.

The Women’s T-20 Challenge Trophy is part of ICC’s broader efforts in women’s cricket, aimed at: strengthening associate nations in women’s cricket.

It also provides emerging teams with international experience. It will create a structured pathway to global tournaments.

The first 12-team ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be played in June and July this year in England and Wales. According to the announcement made by the ICC Board in 2024, the number of teams is expected to increase to 16 by the 2030 edition.