Women's T20 World Cup to be Held in UAE, but Hosting Rights Remain with Bangladesh

The Women's T20 World Cup will not be held in Bangladesh. The tournament, originally scheduled to take place in Bangladesh in October, has been relocated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed this decision.

During a virtual board meeting on Tuesday, the ICC finalized the decision to host the World Cup in the UAE. According to the original schedule, the tournament will take place from October 3rd to 20th. The ICC confirmed this information in a statement.

The ICC's statement mentioned that the World Cup will be held in the UAE, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will remain the official host. The matches will be played at two venues—Dubai and Sharjah. The World Cup will proceed according to the pre-scheduled dates from October 3rd to 20th.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice stated, "It is unfortunate that the Women's T20 World Cup will not be held in Bangladesh, especially since we have seen memorable events under the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) organization."

He further added, "I would like to thank the BCB for preparing all the venues for the World Cup. However, we have learned that some participating countries have expressed concerns about traveling to Bangladesh at this time."

Despite the tournament being relocated, Geoff Allardice confirmed that the hosting rights remain with the BCB. He stated, "Nevertheless, the hosting rights remain with them. We hope to see another ICC global event in Bangladesh in the future."

Three countries had previously shown interest in hosting the World Cup. Thanking them, Allardice said, "I would like to extend my gratitude to the Emirates Cricket Board, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe for their wholehearted support. We expect to hold ICC tournaments in the remaining two countries (Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe) by 2026."