More Tests, Olympic cricket, windows for T20 leagues in women's FTP 2025-29

The latest Future Tours Programme (FTP) for women's cricket announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the period 2025-29 will see an increase in the number of Test matches played while tri-series tournaments will also be played more frequently. The introduction of Olympic Cricket, a first for women's game, will also take place in 2028 at the Los Angeles games with a total in excess of 400 matches set to be played across the three formats, along with an ICC event in every calendar year.

The other major talking point of the next cycle is the inclusion of Zimbabwe as the latest team in the Women's championship. The ongoing championship cycle has ten teams with Bangladesh and Ireland taking part in their debut FTP. With Zimbabwe's inclusion, the total number of teams in the next cycle will be 11.

The first-ever Champions Trophy for women's cricket will be played in 2027 with six teams set to feature in it. Preceding this event will be the ODI World Cup to be hosted by India in 2025 while the 2026 T20 World Cup is set to be held in the United Kingdom. With an ICC event happening every year, the teams have mutually agreed to schedule more tri-series events in the corresponding format to prepare for those showpiece events.

Teams are slated to play more Tests, with Australia set to feature in the most games in the longest format. They'll play eight Tests in the next four years with multi-format series scheduled against England, India, South Africa and West Indies. All these series will include Tests, ODIs and T20Is. West Indies Women will return to Test cricket after more than 20 years. They are scheduled to play home Tests against Australia and England and an away Test against South Africa in 2026, 2027 and 2028 respectively.

The ODI Championship shall continue to serve its purpose and will have 132 matches spread across 44 bilateral series of three games apiece among the 11 teams. This will eventually lead to the qualification pathway for the 2029 ICC ODI World Cup.

While revealing the latest developments regarding the next FTP cycle, ICC's General Manager of Cricket hoped that the women's game would continue to evolve in a positive manner.

"We are delighted to announce the new Women's FTP. The ODIs within the Women's Championship will continue to provide both context and a pathway to the Women's Cricket World Cup 2029. The FTP also provides clarity for teams and the fans," said Wasim Khan in the ICC Press Release.

"We are pleased that the new edition of the IWC has expanded and will include Zimbabwe as an eleventh team.

"It is heartening that Member Boards are keen to play across formats, and also that they have planned tri-series to prepare for ICC events. The effort made by the Members to provide a balanced and contextual calendar will further elevate the women's game. We thank Member Boards for their commitment and collaboration in finalizing the FTP."

Another huge development in the next FTP cycle has been the window granted to the major T20 leagues worldwide. Women's Big Bash League, The Hundred and Women's Premier League will enjoy exclusivity in scheduling, thereby allowing maximum player participation. India's WPL is also set to move ahead to the January-February window starting from 2026 with Australia's marquee home season fixtures moved back by a month to facilitate this shift.