Sri Lanka secure automatic qualification for inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027

Chamari Athapaththu‘s Sri Lanka have secured automatic qualification for the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027, confirming their place among the six nations set to compete in the tournament. The qualification was determined on the basis of ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings as of July 6, 2026.

The tournament is scheduled to be held from February 14 to 28, 2027, in India. It will be played in T20 format, with six teams competing across 16 matches in total. India were confirmed as hosts after Sri Lanka lost hosting rights due to governance concerns.

The six qualified teams are India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. India’s place in the tournament is as the host nation, while the remaining five sides earned their spots through the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings as of the cut-off date. The tournament represents a significant milestone for women’s cricket, bringing together the top six T20 sides in a dedicated Champions Trophy format for the first time.

What is the format and schedule of the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027?

The tournament will follow a round-robin group stage format, with all six teams playing against each other across 15 matches. The top two sides at the end of the group stage will then advance to a knockout final, which will be the 16th and deciding match of the competition. The round-robin structure ensures every participating nation faces each of the other five sides at least once before the knockout stage, giving all teams a full opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the final.

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The tournament window was originally planned for June to July 2027 but was moved forward to the February 2027 window in June 2026. The revised schedule places the entire competition within a 15-day window from February 14 to 28, 2027. The condensed format means the group stage and the final will be completed within a tight but manageable calendar, making it one of the more compact multi-team women’s T20 tournaments in recent ICC history. Exact venues within India have not been confirmed at this stage, and specific group stage pairings and the full match schedule are yet to be announced.