Everything you need to know about the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Some of the biggest names in cricket will take centre stage when the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 begins in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, October 3.
Australia are the holders and record six-time winners, but Alyssa Healy’s team will be wary of the threat posed by former champions England and West Indies, as well as South Asian powerhouse India.
The tournament will be played in a simple two-stage format and will see the winner walk away with a hefty cheque.
Here’s what you need to know about the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024:
Group A
Group B
Bangladesh were granted automatic qualification on account of being the tournament hosts.
Australia, South Africa, England, India, the West Indies and New Zealand qualified on the basis of their performance in the previous edition of the tournament in 2023, when Australia lifted the title in the final against hosts South Africa. Of these, West Indies and New Zealand qualified on the basis of their third-place finish in the group stage, while the other four secured their spots as semifinalists.
Pakistan’s entry into the 2024 edition was sealed on account of their ICC Women’s T20 team ranking at the end of the 2023 tournament, which was the highest amongst the fourth-placed teams.
Sri Lanka and Scotland booked their places through the 2024 tournament qualifiers, which concluded in May.
Here’s a look at the 10 squads and what’s to come:

In 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) granted hosting rights for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 to Bangladesh, but the tournament was moved to the UAE due to the recent political unrest in Bangladesh and the ensuing security concerns in the South Asian nation.
While the matches will be played in the UAE, Bangladesh will remain the official tournament hosts.
The tournament will follow a simple two-stage format, divided between a group stage and a short knockout stage.
Following round-robin matches in both groups, the top two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals, with the winners playing the final.
Al Jazeera has listed all the matches, with their timings and venues here.
Group stage: October 3 to 13
Semifinals: October 16 and 17
Final: October 20
Al Jazeera’s four favourites for the title are:

India vs Pakistan is the biggest match of any ICC World Cup and one that is now a permanent fixture regardless of groups and seedings, which means every time the two nations participate in an ICC event, they face each other at least once.
Whenever and wherever the South Asian rivals meet, tickets sell like hotcakes, hotels in the vicinity of the stadium run at full occupancy, and life in both countries comes to a standstill.
In this tournament, Kaur’s India will take on Sana-led Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, October 6 at 10:00 GMT.
India have won 12 of the 15 T20 matches played between the two South Asian rivals, with Pakistan winning three. India comprehensively won their last encounter – by seven wickets – at the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in July.
Pakistan will look to turn the tide under their new captain, but India will be strong favourites.

The ICC has increased the tournament purse by 225 percent from the previous edition in a move aimed at giving equal prize money in men’s and women’s tournaments. Here are the numbers:
Tickets for the tournament went on sale on September 25 on the tournament’s website. They will also be available at kiosks at both venues.
The ICC has announced free entry for fans under the age of 18. The price for tickets ranges between 5 UAE dirhams ($1.36) and 550 dirhams ($150).
Al Jazeera will bring live text commentary and photo coverage for a selection of the biggest matches during the tournament, including India vs Pakistan, both semifinals and the final.
The ICC has allotted rights to various broadcasting and online streaming outlets across the world.