ICC announces Future Tours Programme 2025-29: Pakistan to host England, New Zealand, Zimbabwe women’s cricket teams

LAHORE: Pakistan will host England, New Zealand and Zimbabwe women’s cricket teams for the first time as ICC announced Future Tours Programme 2025-29.

Zimbabwe will tour Pakistan in April/May 2026, while New Zealand will tour Pakistan in April 2027. England will visit Pakistan in October in the same year.

The fourth cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, which will be played from 2026-29 will see 11 sides taking part in the event for direct qualification to the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2029. Zimbabwe will feature in the event for the first time.

In the Women’s Championship, each team will compete against eight other teams, following the format of four home and four away series, similar to the current edition. Across 44 series, a total of 132 ODIs will be played, with each series consisting of three matches.

In the Championship, the fourth side to visit Pakistan will be Bangladesh and they will come in October 2028. As part of their four away assignments, Pakistan will travel to South Africa in February 2026, and then play Sri Lanka in July the same year. Later in November 2026, Pakistan will visit the West Indies while their final away series in the ICC Women’s Championship 2026-29 cycle will be in Ireland in June 2028.

The Future Tour Programme will see an ICC Women’s tournament taking place every year, starting with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027 and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028.

Also, to prepare for ICC events, members have mutually scheduled tri-series tournaments. Ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England, Ireland will host Pakistan and the West Indies.

Home series:

Pak v Zimbabwe; April 2026

Pak v New Zealand; April 2027

Pak v England; October 2027

Pak v Bangladesh; October 2028

Away series:

Pak v South Africa; February 2026

Pak v Sri Lanka; July 2026

Pak v West Indies; November 2026

Pak v Ireland; June 2028

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