• More than 100,000 tickets applied for in the first week of the ticket application phase, on top of the 130,000 tickets already sold in the presale
• Huge demand for England pool matches and the showpiece final at Twickenham Stadium.
• BBC Gladiator ‘Fury’ and former England sevens player Jodie Ounsley, England internationals Abbie Ward, Hannah Botterman and Jess Breach and rugby legends Maggie Alphonsi, Rachael Burford and Shaunagh Brown joined celebrations in host cities around England calling for fans not to miss out on being a part of history
• There’s still time to apply for tickets to all Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 matches before the application window closes at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday, 19 November via rugbyworldcup.com

The tournament, which kicks off at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Friday, 22 August and runs until 27 September, 2025, is set to be the biggest ever. Across the nation, host locations have been celebrating this era-defining tournament arriving in their city – from the iconic waterways of York, to the renaming of train stations in Bristol and Exeter to the transformation of Brighton Beach takeover.

The ticket application window kicked off in York on the River Ouse with England rugby legend Maggie Alphonsi and Yorkshire-born Jodie Ounsley, ‘Fury’ from Gladiators and England sevens’ first deaf female rugby player, alongside a host of local England, South Africa and Ireland fans.

In Exeter, the train station Exeter St Davids was renamed ExeTRY St Davids in honour of Women’s Rugby World Cup arriving there next year. Not to be outdone, in Bristol the station Bristol Temple Meads was renamed Bristol Temple MAUL. Brighton beach was also transformed into ‘Brighton Breach’ in honour of England international and local, Jess Breach to celebrate the return of rugby to Brighton after the city hosted men’s Rugby World Cup matches in 2015.

Several other England rugby players past and present have also been calling for people not to miss out on being part of this historic event next year, including Shaunagh Brown, Rachael Burford, Abbie Ward and Hannah Botterman encouraging locals to get involved and be a part of history in the making.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 winner Alphonsi is one of those calling for fans to apply for tickets quickly commenting: “It’s incredibly exciting to be able to have a global event like this come back to England. This upcoming tournament has so much potential to deliver a positive wider impact. 2025 will see the biggest and best Women’s Rugby World Cup ever – it’s going to be the tournament you don’t want to miss out on next year.”

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director Sarah Massey, added: “It has been brilliant to work with various host locations in celebrating the arrival of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 and with the recent match schedule announcement revealing the thrilling matchups we can expect next year, we’re seeing a lot of excitement building across local communities and beyond.”

Fans will have until 11:00 (GMT) on Tuesday, 19 November to select the matches and price categories they want to apply for via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com, with applicants being notified of the results from Monday, 2 December. Fans will need to enter their payment card details as part of their ticket application, however payment cards will only be charged after 2 December, 2024 if an application has been successful. Only one application per email address is allowed, ensuring a fair process for all.

Don’t miss out – ticket applications for all matches can be submitted until 11:00 GMT 19 November, 2024 via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.

England 2025 will be the first Rugby World Cup hosted under a new joint-venture model (Local Operating Committee) between World Rugby and the RFU, with funding from the UK Government, which will aim to optimise efficiency and impact across the tournament.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 is supported by its official partners Mastercard, Capgemini, Gallagher and Asahi.

With thanks to World Rugby

World Rugby has today appointed Ocean Outdoor UK, a leader in premium Digital Out of Home advertising and experiential activations, as their DOOH media partner for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.

Under the agreement, Ocean Outdoor will contribute to the success of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 by promoting the tournament in iconic out of home (OOH) advertising spaces in the UK, bringing its unstoppable energy to millions of people.

Having previously delivered successful sports themed events including the recent 22 fan zones for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Paralympics and Wimbledon, Ocean Outdoor has also been entrusted to manage the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 flagship fan zone in London. The location will be unveiled in due course.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director Sarah Massey said: “We are delighted to welcome Ocean Outdoor as Official DOOH media partner and fan zone provider. Ocean’s creativity and portfolio will help us showcase Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025’s energy across England and the UK, driving interest and building momentum ahead of this generational moment for rugby. The London fan zone delivered by Ocean will allow fans and visitors of England’s iconic capital to experience Rugby World Cup like never before.”

Ocean Outdoor Head of Content and Sponsorship Kevin Henry added: “Ocean’s partnership with World Rugby extends our programme of world class sports content and allows us to build on the huge success of this year’s fan zones which have attracted record outdoor audiences.  

 “The chance to showcase world class women’s rugby is another milestone in our mission to improve access to sport at all levels. Working closely with our landlords and brand partners across multiple formats, we hope to inspire even more women and girls to enjoy, participate and thrive in sport.” 

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 takes place from 22 August to 27 September, 2025 in England across eight host locations. Fans have the opportunity to apply for tickets for all matches until 11:00 GMT on Tuesday, 19 November at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.

With thanks to World Rugby

With a little under 300 days to go until Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 kicks off in England and with more than 130,000 tickets already sold, fans can now apply for tickets across all matches in what promises to be the biggest celebration of women’s rugby.

As excitement continues to sweep across the host nation and beyond following the match schedule announcement, the ticket application phase will launch from 11:00 (GMT) on 5 November, giving fans two weeks to apply for a chance to see the world’s best 16 teams and rugby’s biggest stars compete across the length and breadth of England.

With the number of tickets sold during the presale period nearly surpassing the total number of tickets ever sold for a Women’s Rugby World Cup, fans are urged not to miss out, with high demand expected for matches featuring hosts England, the knockout stages, and the highly coveted final.

Fans will have from 11:00 (GMT) Tuesday, 5 November until 11:00 (GMT) on Tuesday, 19 November to select the matches and price categories they want to apply for via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com, with applicants being notified of the results from Monday, 2 December. Fans will need to enter their payment card details as part of their ticket application, however payment cards will only be charged after 2 December, 2024 if an application has been successful. Only one application per email address is allowed, ensuring a fair process for all.

The two-week application window provides an equal opportunity for fans around the world to plan their England 2025 experience without stress and allow high demand tickets to be allocated in a fair and equitable way via the use of ballots.

Fans can increase their chance of success by selecting the “Boost your chances” option to accept alternative price categories, giving flexibility if their preferred tickets are unavailable. Additionally, demand indicators on the website will help fans gauge interest levels for each match.

The two-week application window provides an equal opportunity for fans around the world to plan their England 2025 experience without stress, and allow high demand tickets to be allocated in a fair and equitable way via the use of ballots.

With such exceptional demand for tickets, fans are urged to secure their tickets now through the only official website tickets.rugbyworldcup.com and be part of an unforgettable and historic tournament.

Fans can take their match-day experience to the next level with a range of ticket-inclusive premium packages. All available packages are on sale now. Fans can guarantee their place today with RWC Experiences at experiences.rugbyworldcup.com.

With thanks to World Rugby

England will host next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, in an interview with SportsBoom, Captain Marlie Packer reflects on the current season and expectations for next year’s showpiece.

Dominance of the Red Roses

England are on a 20 match unbeaten run and solidify their spot at the top of the World Rugby rankings.

“England Rugby has been dominant for many different reasons to be fair. The league system over here in England has really pushed players in the funds that the RFU [Rugby Football Union] has put in the PWR [Premiership Women’s Rugby] and the clubs have massively given us the depths in the squad to push us,” Packer told SportsBoom.com.

“If we pick up an injury or if someone is not performing there is always someone to fill in that spot. Its just credit to where the RFU have invested in the Women’s game.”

WXV campaign review

In the latest edition of the WXV campaign, they faced some stiff competition and managed to make it 3 from 3 wins with a tough encounter against the hosts Canada to conclude the 2024 season.

“I haven’t had that much time to reflect, just yet but we’ve come out of it as WXV1 champions. We talked about that 12 weeks ago. That was what we wanted to go out there and do. The way the last game went, Canada really tested us in certain areas but we clinched that win and sometimes you have to win ugly.”

“In that game we obviously picked up two yellow cards in the second half but our bench as we call them our Super 8, came on and played phenomenally for us and reviewing that game myself personally as a player not as a Red Roses captain there is stuff we need to work on as a group and as individuals.”

“Those types of games when you are playing the best of the best, you don’t get to do that often. If you don’t play them, you don’t know where you need to fix things.”

Rugby World Cup in England

World Rugby officially announced the Rugby World Cup Draw and schedule for the showpiece held next year. The Red Roses are in Group A and will play the opening game of the tournament against USA, then Samoa and Australia to conclude the group stages.

Allianz Stadium formerly known as Twickenham Stadium will host the Bronze Final and Final. Packer expects record crowd attendance considering the support the previous World Cup had in New Zealand, including the forever growing Women’s Rugby community worldwide.

“Definitely should expect big numbers, 66,000 is the biggest crowd at the women’s game which was at the Olympics [Paris] which is incredible in itself. I back us to beat that in 2025, Allianz Stadium is 82,000 seater. I honestly do feel we can sell out that stadium. What an incredible experience that would be, not only for the players that are playing in that game but also the fans, it will really be a special for both players and fans.”

With thanks to  SportsBoom.

World Rugby has announced the match schedule for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, setting the stage for six weekends of compelling competition in what promises to be the largest celebration of women’s rugby.

A spectacular opening weekend will see hosts England face USA at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Friday, 22 August 2025, while reigning champions New Zealand will begin their title defence against Spain at York Community Stadium on Sunday, 24 August 2025.

Brazil, who became the first team from South America to qualify for a Women’s Rugby World Cup earlier this year, will make their tournament debut against South Africa at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton on Sunday, 24 August 2025.

The match schedule has been developed with team and fan experience at heart, with exciting matchups in each of the eight host locations, family friendly kick-off times and optimised team travel. Aligned with World Rugby standards, each team will also benefit from a minimum of six rest days between pool matches enabling the world’s top teams to prepare and perform at their best.

VIEW THE FULL MATCH SCHEDULE HERE >>

Six double header fixtures will take place during the pool stages, generating a festival atmosphere in the host locations and creating a day-out for families and local communities. With child prices available at all matches including the opening and knock-out matches and a vast majority of kick-off times in the afternoon, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 promises to be the family event of the year inspiring the next generation of players in England.

The pool stage will culminate in a huge weekend of matches across four venues, with the two best teams on competition points in each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals and the knockout phase.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director, Sarah Massey, said: “The confirmation of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 match schedule brings a wave of excitement as fans in the host nation and around the globe can now mark their calendars for this era-defining tournament.

“With thrilling matchups and unforgettable moments guaranteed across the length and breadth of the country, the stage is set for the world’s top teams to showcase the very best of women’s rugby. Whether you’re a rugby fan or a newcomer, join us and be part of this unstoppable energy and historic moment!”

With 95 per cent of the population in England within two hours of a match venue, fans will have an unprecedented opportunity to see rugby’s biggest stars in action, while host cities are getting ready to welcome international travelling fans with iconic and vibrant local experiences.

With excitement building, fans will have the opportunity to apply for tickets for all matches from 11:00 (GMT) on Tuesday 5 November until 11:00 (GMT) on Tuesday 19 November. Ballots will be used for any price categories which are oversubscribed. Fans can register to be the first to hear about ticket news here.

Prior to the two-week ticket application phase, Worldwide Partner Mastercard is offering its cardholders access to a 48-hour priority sale for all matches from 11:00 (GMT+1) today until 11:00 (GMT+1) on Thursday 24 October at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com. Only Mastercard payments will be accepted during this priority window.

With thanks to World Rugby

The four British Isles captains were all present, plus squads of highly excited youngsters to add unwavering support.

The selections made:

Pool A: England, Samoa, USA, Australia
Pool B: Canada, Fiji, Wales, Scotland
Pool C: New Zealand, Spain, Japan, Ireland
Pool D: France, Brazil, Italy, South Africa

Reporters are almost duty-bound to pick a Pool of Death; with women’s rugby that’s not so easy. The most likely upsets are where two teams meet from neighbouring seedings bands. A win by a team from two levels below their opponents would be a real headliner.

We have two ways of approaching this draw; either by the ice-cold facts of world rankings; or by the red-hot records of previous RWCs. That’s where the Black Ferns hold five aces. Last time they beat England by three points in a thriller in Auckland to gain yet another trophy.

Some match-ups

England must hope that those rankings hold the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They face two nations whom they have beaten in recent seasons, but they last played Samoa in the 2014 RWC in France. Mo Hunt may or may not have a clear memory of it. Early on, she was dropped on her head by an opponent. For the rest of the game England played against 14.

It was cunning of Maggie Alphonsi to draw the Black Ferns in the same pool as Ireland. Revenge is sweet, they say, but the Ferns will need to ensure they have put their house in order before meeting them again. The sight of Sam Monaghan in the studio was a timely reminder that she was missing from the fray in Vancouver. That makes the Irish win all the more notable.

By the same token, Canada will hope to have a fully restored Sophie de Goede in their presence. That will help them face encounters with the two Celtic nations and Fijiana with renewed confidence.

The Manusina of Samoa are the leaders of the Oceanic pack at present. They must hope they can produce an upset against the Wallaroos or the Eagles.

The Outsiders

The one team that needs all the publicity it can get is Brazil. This vast nation is best known for its footballing prowess; its rugby history is less familiar. The game arrived as usual via British traders and settlers; the first clubs were set up in the 1890s.

The women’s game developed much later. In recent years emphasis has been laid on Sevens. They are members of the SVNS Series and the team appeared at their home Rio Olympics in 2016. They finished tenth in Paris this year.

Their first 15s international took place in 2008, when the Netherlands, the nation (with France) to stage the very first women’s international in Amsterdam. (Result: 10-0 to NL)

It’s a pity that Brazil remain the only wide outsiders among the sixteen nations competing; they rank a full 25 places below Fiji in 17th. The aim must be to have at least one other emerging side taking part in the biggest tournament the game offers. But their mere presence at a world tournament will help to spread the word across the nation for whom televised rugby is a great rarity. World Rugby is offering all the aid it can to accelerate the speed of development.

More news to come

The Match Draw will be confirmed on 22 October.

That’s when managements can start mapping out how they thread their way through the tournament, making maximum use of the resources at their disposal.

Staffs present at the recent WXV will enjoy a slight advantage in having learned valuable lessons about squad selections.

Here they are, with rankings added:

Band 1: England (1), Canada (2), New Zealand (3), France (4)
Band 2: Australia (5), Ireland (6), Scotland (7), Italy (8)
Band 3: USA (9), Wales (10), Japan (11), South Africa (12)
Band 4: Spain (13), Samoa (15), Fiji (17), Brazil (42)

This was one on World Rugby’s easier tasks, for which they’ll be very grateful. Thanks be to rankings.

The bands are seeding positions by another name. The idea is to delay matches between the leading trophy contenders for as long as possible. That approach has its merits, but an early clash of titans can get the nerves jangling.

Just as with WXV, the biggest attainment gaps come in the lowest band, and it’s for exactly the same purpose – to give more nations the sense of new opportunities coming within their grasp.

In the last two years we have seen Colombia and Madagascar gain prominence in WXV; now it is Brazil’s turn. That is partly due to World Rugby’s belated decision to extend the competing nations to 16, a number last employed back in 2002.

Brazil is one of those nations firmly in the viewfinder of WR. Like others in their position, they have already found success in Sevens. The aim now is to let it flourish at 15s level. That is far more demanding in time and personnel.

There have been good reasons for not widening RWC’s scope: the more teams, the longer the tournament must last. With only a tiny proportion of female players enjoying whole or part-time support, the length of absence from work or study proved unwise.

A game within the game is to spot teams beating others who were placed in a higher band.

These days that’s perfectly possible.

The Draw

The next crucial stage follows on Thursday 17 October. Then we will discover who will play whom across the four bands.

Engliah eyes glance anxiously at Band 2, where they might alight on Australia, a team on the rise, and the only one of the 18 WXV contenders to gain maximum points.

Kiwi and French fans will be a shade more concerned. They know their favourites haven’t been performing to the standards expected. Ireland have already beaten the Black Ferns, and Les Bleues are so unpredictable that we can’t tell who might pull the rug from under their feet. By the same token, they could easily confound expectations and walk off with a first ever trophy.

How many rugby fans around the world would be delighted to see neither New Zealand nor England dispute yet another final? Ah, I can’t see clearly. The arms raised have blotted out the light.

Kerr took two for 13 with the ball as Sri Lanka set the White Ferns 115 to win, before she produced a crucial 34 from 31 balls to guide her side home.

Georgia Plimmer’s impressive half century proved a perfect platform for New Zealand to secure victory, and Kerr combined with captain Sophie Devine to get them over the line and keep her side’s semi-final hopes alive.

Sri Lanka began their innings brightly, with openers Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu both finding the boundary in the early overs and taking advantage of some loose New Zealand bowling.

But the White Ferns found a crucial early breakthrough in the fourth over as Eden Carson bowled Gunaratne for eight.

Captain Athapaththu combined well with new batter Harshitha Samarawickrama to steady the Sri Lankan ship, with the pair sharing a 48-run stand to build a strong platform for their side.

Athapaththu led the way with 35 off 41 runs until spinner Kerr claimed her first wicket of the afternoon to bowl the Sri Lanka skipper.

That proved a key intervention with Sri Lanka 74 for two, as Samarawickrama fell just five balls later for 18 as she could only chip to extra cover following a superb ball from Leigh Kasperek.

Sri Lanka looked to respond in the final five overs, Kavisha Dilhari producing an impressive Dil-scoop to try and drive up her side’s run rate.

But the White Ferns kept finding wickets at key times, Anushka Sanjeewani (5) became Kasperek’s second victim of the tournament as she looked to hit down the ground but could only find the hands of Devine.

Kerr then struck again for her second wicket of the match, trapping Dilhari (10) leg before as she tried to sweep for the boundary.

That left Sri Lanka reduced to 97 for five but Nilakshika Silva (14 not out) and Ama Kanchana (10 not out) dug in to steer their side home to 115, their highest score of the tournament.

New Zealand were forced to ease their way into their chase, but soon picked up a fast pace through opener Plimmer.

After a slow opening four overs negotiating the Sri Lankan spin attack, the right-hander opened up with boundaries from the first ball of back-to-back overs before she and Suzie Bates both crashed a boundary each in the seventh over to leave the White Ferns 48 without loss.

With New Zealand appearing to get on top of the contest, Sri Lanka then broke the opening partnership when Sachini Nisansala clean bowled Bates for 17.

It was almost a second wicket in quick succession, but Inoshi Priyadharshani was unable to hold onto a shot from Plimmer at short range off her own bowling.

Kerr quickly settled into her innings with the bat, crunching a cover drive for four off just her second ball as New Zealand looked to regain their momentum.

That is exactly what they did, as Kerr and Plimmer combined to comfortably guide their side towards the 100 mark and in sight of victory.

Plimmer notched up an impressive half century before Athapaththu finally got the wicket they needed to dismiss the opener for 53 off 44 balls.

Kerr immediately took up the mantle to drive the White Ferns past 100 with another boundary through point.

Her knock of 34 from 31 balls proved enough for victory in conjunction with captain Devine, who sealed victory with 15 balls to spare via a crunching six.

Scores in brief

Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Sharjah International Stadium, Sharjah.

Sri Lanka 115/5 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 35, Harshitha Samarawickrama 18; Amelia Kerr 2/13, Leigh Kasperek 2/27)

New Zealand 118/2 in 17.3 overs (Georgia Plimmer 53, Amelia Kerr 34; Chamari Athapaththu 1/8, Sachini Nisansala 1/24)

Result: New Zealand win by eight wickets

With thanks to the ICC

This year, the ICC took a unique approach to the captains’ photo by inviting each captain to individually showcase their excitement for the tournament set against the striking backdrop of the Dubai Frame, a symbol of the UAE’s landscape. The setting, which blends the Emirate’s iconic modern architecture with its desert heritage, reflects the cultural diversity of this edition’s World Cup.

The image was taken by Dubai-based Tina Patni, a well-known luxury fashion, beauty, and editorial photographer, recognized for her work with celebrities and has earned her international recognition for her unique style and expertise in the industry.

A special panel session featuring all 10 captains took place during the Captains’ Day, hosted by Melanie Jones, which showed fans a glimpse into the life, strategies and aspirations of the captains.

Australia Captain Alyssa Healy: “There are 10 teams sitting on the stage here today that deserve to be here and have a real shot of winning this World Cup. You don’t come here to defend a title, that’s not what a World Cup is about, you come here to win it, so we’re here with that approach and I’m excited to get underway.

“Our pool is quite a tricky one. We’ve got to get past a lot of these teams to be able to lift the trophy and it’s a challenge we’re excited for.”

West Indies Captain Hayley Matthews: “You play all year long preparing and this is obviously the pinnacle of where you want to be as a team and where you want to be competing.

“Every series you play, every training session you have is towards that goal of a World Cup, so [preparation] definitely is a long process, and I think one as a West Indies team we’ve had in our sights for a very long time. So yeah, just hoping for some success.”

Bangladesh Captain Nigar Sultana: “Yeah, [shifting the event from Bangladesh] was pretty disappointing initially. But the thing is we’re very professional. Now we are here and we are going to play this and we are pretty fortunate that we will do something that is going to help all the fans and the families and friends to get cheered.

“I’m expecting a lot of spectators, because in Sharjah there are a lot of Bangladeshis there. And playing in this kind of event, I think more people will come watch us and support.”

Scotland Captain Kathryn Bryce: “Yeah, I think we just really want to compete in this competition. We’ve played some fantastic cricket in the qualifiers and leading up to it, so I think, we just want to go out there and do ourselves justice on that stage and put in some good performances against these teams.”

India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur: “I think that is something we keep learning every day. Because when you win, sometimes you feel, OK, that is something I have achieved. But at the same time, next day when you go, you may make small mistakes. And I think that is part of the game. And I think learning is something which is never going to stop, every day is a learning day. Every day I’m going and learning and getting experience from every game. Yeah, I think people around me, they are helping me, they are working hard to make our team go at that level where we want to be. I am happy with where our team is, like how our team is working hard to achieve small, small things.”

England Captain Heather Knight: “I think captaincy is always a constant challenge. I don’t think you need that freshness as a captain. You’ve always been challenged in different ways and trying to learn little tricks and trying to grow in everything you do. But I think as you’re there more, you learn to get your messages across in slightly different ways using the people around you. I’ve got through a few coaches as well, so that kind of helps freshen things up. And obviously, the team’s constantly evolving, which is a place where you’re obviously keeping things fresh and finding different ways to say things.”

Pakistan captain, Fatima Sana: “I will try to enjoy myself, express myself and back myself as well (as captain). Actually, our whole management is supporting me, and they told me that you just take a brave decision on the field, so just try to do this, be calm and just do whatever you want.”

New Zealand Captain Sophie Devine: “I think that’s been the great thing about the women’s game is the development and it’s what’s happened off the field I think that’s helped achieve that. In terms of the quick bowlers you’ve seen the girls become more professional and what they’ve been able to do in the gym is starting to see bowlers hitting 120kms and more which it makes for a challenge. It’s always exciting to be coming up against that but I think it just shows the development of the women’s game that those sorts of skills continue to improve.

“We’ve got a number of young fast bowlers coming through. And again, their development has been massive the last 12 – 18 months so certainly looking forward to seeing what sort of bowlers they can turn into.”

South Africa Captain Laura Wolvaardt: “I think obviously last year was great, but we’re just looking to take it one game at a time. Obviously a very difficult pool, but hopefully we can make semi-finals and then anything can happen from that.

“It’s obviously a bit different now. I think most players who have played in the team have never played under anyone besides Hilton (Mooreng). But Dillon (du Preez), who’s taken over, has been with us for four or five years. So, he still knowshow things were and where we’re headed. And we’ve actually got a batting coach and a fielding coach now this season for the first time officially as well, so everything just feels really well organized at the moment. It’s been great just getting a lot of information from a lot of different coaches, even just to have the extra hands at training and to have specific groups doing specific things has been awesome. We’re looking forward to this tournament.”

Sri Lanka captain, Chamari Athapaththu: “We are coming with underdog tag all the time. So, we don’t have any pressure. I don’t want to take too much pressure on my shoulders and my teammates’ shoulders. But we keep it simple. I have a very young team, so we have a few seniors as well. I hope we can continue our best performance, because we’ve been playing really good cricket the last 16 months. This is a different format and different conditions, so we have to start again, fresh days. So, keep it simple, one ball one time, one game one time.”

The World Cup which will see 23 matches held over 18 days in the two host cities of Dubai and Sharjah, promises to entertain and inspire a new generation of cricket fans while serving as a transformative platform for women’s cricket.

The opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will take place in Sharjah, with hosts Bangladesh, facing Scotland at 14h00, followed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, fans can purchase tickets online or directly at the stadiums, for more information on where to buy click here.

Peaking at the right time

After having been humbled to a 3-0 series defeat in the 2023 tour of Pakistan, the Proteas Women fought hard to win the recent three match series 2-1 to kick-off final preparations on a positive note.

Bosch’s impressive innings of 46 off 37 balls in the final match helped South Africa secure their first series win in seven attempts since making their maiden T20 World Cup final last year.

With 41 appearances, and four half centuries behind her name, Bosch told SportsBoom that she tries to keep her game as simple as possible while also trusting her process.

For the Proteas, the timely series win will give them much needed momentum and confidence as the global showpiece gets closer.

“My performance came down to the mental side of the game and just being ready for the conditions, preparing well, and just going out with the intensity of looking to score runs and not worrying too much about the result but more about the process,” Bosch told SportsBoom.com.

“The fact that it was the series decider, we had a lot to play for and we really wanted to win the series and take the momentum into the World Cup, and it turned out really good for us.”

The danger posed by the four World Cup opponents

The right-handed batter reviewed each of the four sides due to face-off against the Proteas and briefly highlighted what to expect from them.

The power of the West Indies

“We haven’t played them in a long time, we know they are a very strong team especially in World Cups they tend to perform very well – they are a tough team to beat.”

“They have a lot of big hitters and good bowlers, and they love T20 cricket obviously, they are a tough team to compete against so it will be a good match definitely.”

The class and experience of England

“They have been one of the best sides in the world for a while, but we also haven’t played with them for a while. I think the last time was in the semi-finals of the World Cup last year, and obviously that went our way.”

“We also have good memories and confidence from that win, but they are one of the best teams in the world, and they have a lot of good players.”

“Beating them will be a big challenge and a good achievement for us because they are a good side. We know they will come hard and give everything.”

Every team we play against also wants to win, it’s not just us, every team gives everything they can, and they will do their best.”

The uncertainty surrounding Scotland

“It makes it kind of dangerous playing against Scotland because we have never played against them for as far as I know, and I kind of don’t know what to expect.”

“So, you can only watch previous matches of them and look at videos to get an idea of what to expect.”

“It’s always a bit of a challenge when you play a team for the first time, but they will be another team we will be on the lookout for, and we will have to be at our best to beat them.”

The danger posed by Bangladesh

“We played them at the end of last year in South Africa and we drew the three match T20 series 1-1 because there was a rained-out game.”

“They are also looking really good, and they have been playing well, so it will be tough to beat them as well.”

With thanks to SportsBoom