England are hosting the Women's T20 World Cup for the first time since 2009. That was the inaugural edition of the competition, which England won under the captaincy of Charlotte Edwards, who's now their head coach. Defending champions New Zealand, six-time winners Australia, and India are among the leading contenders for the title this time. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament - including the format, venues, key players, prize money and reserve-day rules..
What's the tournament structure?
Twelve teams have been divided into two groups of six each. In the group stage, teams will face each other in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.
Tell me more about participating teams.
Hosts England qualified automatically, and were joined by the top seven teams in the ICC rankings: India, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland secured their places through the qualifier in Nepal.
On form, Australia remain the favourites, although England and India cannot be ignored. Since the last edition, Australia have played only 12 T20Is but have won ten of them. India have played the most T20Is among the higher-ranked teams, winning 14 of their 24 matches. England are not far behind, having won 12 of their 20 T20Is in this cycle. South Africa and New Zealand have played 21 and 17 matches, and won ten and nine, respectively.
Are there any first-timers?
Yes, Netherlands are making their debut in the Women's T20 World Cup. They secured their place after finishing fourth in the qualifier earlier this year.
Who are the past winners?
Australia have won the tournament six times (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023), and are the most successful team in the history of the tournament. England (2009), West Indies (2016) and New Zealand (2024) have won the title once each.
New Zealand are the defending champions after winning the title for the first time in 2024, when they beat South Africa in the final.
What about the venues?
A total of 33 matches will be played across seven venues.
Edgbaston (in Birmingham), Old Trafford (Manchester), Headingley (Leeds), Rose Bowl (Southampton), Bristol County Ground (Bristol), and Lord's (London) will host the group-stage matches. The Oval, also in London, will stage both semi-finals, while Lord's will host the final.
Who are the players to watch out for?
This will be Melie Kerr's first World Cup as New Zealand captain. Since taking over the role in T20Is in February, she has scored two centuries and half-centuries each in ten innings this year, while also claiming 17 wickets in 13 matches. This will also be Sophie Molineux's first major tournament after she took over Australia's captaincy this year.
England's Lauren Bell and Charlie Dean, along with India's Shree Charani, are expected to play key roles with the ball. Ireland's Orla Prendergast has been in excellent form with both bat and ball.
Among batters, South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, who has scored two centuries and four fifties since last year, India's Smriti Mandhana, and West Indies' Hayley Matthews could all be key figures.
What's the prize money?
The ICC has announced a record prize pool of US$8.76 million for the T20 World Cup. The winners will receive US$2.34 million, the same amount as in the previous edition, while the runners-up will again earn US$1.17 million. The losing semi-finalists will receive US$675,000 each, while every group-stage win is worth US$31,154, also unchanged from 2024.
Which are the key matches?
England will meet Scotland at Headingley on June 20, the first time the two teams will face each other at a World Cup, men or women's, on English soil. Ireland and Scotland will also meet in an all-Celtic contest at Old Trafford on June 13.
In a rematch of last edition's semi-final, New Zealand begin their title defence against West Indies in Southampton on June 13, while Australia face 2024 finalists South Africa on the same day at Old Trafford. India take on Pakistan at Edgbaston on June 14.
The Australia vs India fixture at Lord's will be the final group-stage match of the tournament.
What happens if a match ends in a tie?
A Super Over will decide every tied match. If the Super Over is also tied, another Super Over will be played and so on until a result is achieved.
In the event of rain or bad weather during the group stage, each team must bat for at least five overs for a result to be declared. In the semi-finals and final, each team must bat for a minimum of ten overs.
What about reserve days?
Only the semi-finals and the final have reserve days. Each semi-final reserve day (July 1 and July 3) has up to 120 minutes of extra playing time available.
The final has a reserve day on July 6. Play is scheduled to begin at 2.30pm local time, with up to 150 minutes of extra playing time available across the final and reserve day.
What happens if the semi-finals or final are abandoned?
If a semi-final cannot be completed because of bad weather, the team that finished first in its group will progress to the final. The same rule applies if a Super Over cannot be played after a tied semi-final because of poor weather.
If the final, or the Super Over following a tied final, is abandoned because of poor weather, the two teams will be declared joint winners.