ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 prize pool soars to record high
The International Cricket Council, on Monday, announced the prize money for the upcoming Women's World Cup edition. In a significant development, the winners of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 will get a sum higher than the amount won by Australia at the ICC Men's ODI World Cup in 2023. The Women's World Cup is slated to kick off on September 30 in India. With less than one month left for the marquee tournament to get underway, the apex council confirmed the rewards up for grabs. As high as the stakes are for the women's teams, the council has ensured that the prize is just as fulfilling.
The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 prize pool marks a staggering 297% rise from the last edition
The ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, scheduled from September 30 to November 2, will feature a record prize pool of USD 13.88 million. The latest prize money has witnessed a staggering 297% jump from the USD 3.5 million on offer at the previous edition of the marquee tournament in New Zealand in 2022. The apex cricket council, in its official announcement on Monday, clarified that the prize pool has been enhanced four-fold.
With this increase, the women’s tournament has now surpassed the prize fund of the 2023 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, which was capped at USD 10 million. The champions of the 13th Women’s World Cup are set to pocket USD 4.48 million, nearly 239% more than the USD 1.32 million Australia received after clinching their seventh World Cup title three years ago. Notably, the winning purse of the upcoming Women's World Cup also exceeds the USD 4 million awarded to the champions of the Men’s World Cup in 2023.
The hike follows the ICC’s commitment to equal pay, first announced ahead of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. The pay parity between men's cricket and women's cricket has often been a point of contention. However, the ICC has been attempting to improve the situation with swift and significant steps. In his statement, Jay Shah, the current ICC chairman, highlighted that the council is committed to the long-term development of women's cricket. Moreover, the former BCCI secretary assured that the upcoming crop of players would be treated on par with the men's team.
“This announcement marks a defining milestone in the journey of women’s cricket. This four-fold increase in prize money is a landmark moment for women’s cricket and reflects our clear commitment to its long-term growth,” ICC chairman Jay Shah said in the official statement. “Our message is simple, women cricketers must know they will be treated on par with men if they choose this sport professionally," he added.
Prize distribution has been raised across every stage of the competition. The runners-up will collect USD 2.24 million, a 273% rise from the USD 600,000 England earned as finalists in 2022. The two semi-finalists who fall short of the final will still earn USD 1.12 million each, up from USD 300,000 previously. In the group stage, each match victory will bring in USD 34,314. The major cricket update further outlines that teams finishing fifth and sixth will secure USD 700,000 apiece, while those placed seventh and eighth will earn USD 280,000. Every participating side, regardless of results, is guaranteed at least USD 250,000.
The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 will be staged across five venues in India. Guwahati, Indore, Navi Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam will host the marquee tournament. Furthermore, Colombo in Sri Lanka will hold the fixtures involving Pakistan. Following the compromise reached by the BCCI and the PCB ahead of the men's ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, India and Pakistan will play multi-nation tournaments hosted by either board at neutral venues. As per the earlier provision, the Pakistan women's team will play their ICC Women's World Cup 2025 matches in Sri Lanka.
The tournament is set to kick off in Guwahati, with the hosts taking on Sri Lanka Women in the World Cup opener. Moving ahead, India Women will face the defending champions in Visakhapatnam in October. However, before that, the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash is scheduled for October 5 in Colombo. While the current situation between the neighboring nations has made the match-up contentious, the Indian government has approved the team’s participation against Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments.
