India to open U19 Women's T20 World Cup defence against West Indies in Kathmandu
India will begin their ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup title defence against the West Indies in Kathmandu on January 22. The ICC announced the schedule on Wednesday (October 21, 2026), confirming the tournament will be played in Bangladesh and Nepal from January 21 to February 6.
The third edition of the U19 Women's T20 World Cup will feature four groups of four teams, with matches allocated across Chattogram, Sylhet and Kathmandu. Two-time champions India have been drawn in Group A alongside co-hosts Nepal, West Indies and Ireland. Venues across the two hosts will stage the group fixtures before the competition moves into its next phase.
The tournament opener on January 21 will see co-hosts Bangladesh face the UAE, while Australia, the runners-up at the previous edition, take on Nigeria in Sylhet on the same day. In Kathmandu, Sri Lanka meet Scotland at Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground, followed by England against the USA later that day.
On January 22, Nepal will start their campaign against Ireland. New Zealand will play Samoa and South Africa will take on Pakistan in Chattogram on the same day.
The group stage will run through January 26, after which the qualifying teams will advance to the Super Six stage. The teams will then be divided into two groups, with the top two sides progressing to the semi-finals.
Group A: India, Ireland, West Indies and Nepal
Group B: South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Samoa
Group C: Australia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Group D: England, Sri Lanka, the United States of America (USA) and Scotland
ICC CEO, Sanjog Gupta, said: "The ICC U19 World Cup is the stage that showcases the future of our sport and serves as the ultimate platform for young players to make the leap towards elite careers representing their countries. "The choice of our hosts — Bangladesh and Nepal — is also reflective of the ICC's belief and investment in the future of the cricket ecosystem. "With deep passion for cricket and nearly 40% of the two countries' populations below the age of 20, they serve as the ideal hosts for one of the world's biggest youth sporting events," he added.
The semi-finals are scheduled for February 4 in Chattogram, with a reserve day on February 5; the final will be played in Chattogram on February 6, with February 7 set aside as a reserve day.
