Ireland will face defending champions India, the West Indies and co-hosts Nepal in the group stages of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in January and February 2027.

The International Cricket Council’s schedule places Ireland in Group A for the third edition of a tournament that is an increasingly important part of the pathway for emerging female cricketers.

When the tournament was last held in 2025, Ireland scored a huge win by advancing to the Super Six stage.

This latest generation will open its campaign against Nepal in Kathmandu on January 22, while India will begin its bid for a third successive title against the West Indies later that day at TU International Cricket Stadium.

Sixteen countries will compete across 41 matches in Bangladesh and Nepal between January 21 and February 6.

For Cricket Ireland, qualification and participation offer another significant international opportunity for players at an age when the transition from underage to senior cricket can be critical.

The ICC has established the competition as an elite development platform and a world championship in its own right, giving young players experience of international tournament structures, travel, and preparation against leading cricket nations.

That makes a group containing India particularly valuable from an Irish perspective. India have won both previous editions of the competition and are already a dominant force in the global development of the women’s game.

The West Indies offer another established cricketing test, while the opening fixture against Nepal will add the challenge of facing one of the host nations in Kathmandu.

The initial group stage runs until January 26, after which the leading teams advance to the Super Six stage. The remaining nations will then compete for places in the semi-finals, scheduled for February 4.

The final will take place on February 6, with February 7 retained as a reserve day.

Matches will be played across four venues: the Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium in Chattogram, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, TU International Cricket Stadium in Kathmandu and Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground.

 

Sport for Business Perspective

Women’s cricket has been one of the clearest growth opportunities available to the sport internationally, and the strength of any national programme increasingly depends on whether there is a credible pathway beneath senior level.

An Under-19 World Cup provides exactly that.

It offers players meaningful competition against countries operating at very different levels of scale, resources and playing population. It also gives coaches and high-performance staff an important benchmark for where Ireland sits internationally as players approach senior cricket.

Major international tournaments create stories and identifiable players at an age when younger participants at home can still see a relatively short distance between their own club or school cricket and representing Ireland.

That connection between participation, pathway, and international opportunity is important if Irish cricket is to keep broadening the base of the women’s game.

Facing India, the West Indies and Nepal will make progression challenging, but it is precisely the type of competitive environment Ireland needs its best young players to experience.

 

 

 

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Image Credit: TG4

 

 

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