Pakistan is to host the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2028.
Pakistan aims to stage every match of the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup on home soil, while the United Arab Emirates is being considered as the location for games involving India. On Friday, the ICC confirmed that the 12-team tournament will run from September 7 to October 1, with Pakistan serving as the main host.
However, a neutral venue for India's fixtures has not yet been settled. Pakistan and India operate under a hybrid model whereby, whenever one of the two nations hosts an ICC or Asian event, the other side plays its matches at an agreed neutral venue.
This arrangement has been in effect since the 2025 Men's Champions Trophy, which Pakistan hosted. India contested all of their Champions Trophy matches in the UAE and claimed the title in Dubai, while Pakistan staged 10 of the tournament's 15 games, among them a semifinal in Lahore that did not involve India.
The Pakistan Cricket Board was prepared to host the Women's T20 World Cup, according to an official source, but they would advise the ICC to use the same formula that was used for the Champions Trophy.
"We would like to host matches from both groups and the knockout matches in which the Indian team is not involved. The UAE will probably be the neutral venue of choice for everyone because travel between Pakistan and Dubai is short and logistics become less expensive and easier to manage," the PCB source said as per PTI.
India is primed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028. However, if they do not qualify for the final, it would be held in Lahore, the source added. The international governing body pays a hosting fee to nations that host an ICC event, along with money for tournament-related costs.
According to the source, the Women's T20 World Cup would raise awareness of women's cricket in Pakistan, which has the talent to field a formidable team for the ICC competition in two years.
In the meantime, Australia and New Zealand will host the 20-team men's T20 World Cup from October 12 to November 12.