The countdown to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England is officially underway, with the tournament venues now confirmed. As anticipation grows, attention turns to the upcoming Africa Qualifiers. The 2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division Two is set to begin on Sunday, 20 July, with Botswana playing host to the event.
2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division Two:
TEAMS
Eight teams, divided into two groups of four, are set to compete in the Africa Qualifier Division Two. Group A features Cameroon, Lesotho, Malawi, and Rwanda, while Group B includes hosts Botswana, along with Eswatini, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone.
VENUES
All matches will be played at two venues in Gaborone: Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1 and Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2.
FORMAT
In the Division Two Qualifier, each team will play three group-stage matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, with the semi-final winners moving on to the final. Regardless of the outcome in the final, both finalists will secure qualification for the 2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division One.
2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division One:
The Division One Africa Qualifiers are scheduled from 31 August 2025 to 6 September 2025. The qualifier will be hosted by Namibia.
TEAMS
The 2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division One will also feature eight teams. Six teams, which are Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, have automatically qualified for the Division One Qualifier. These six teams will be joined by the winners and runners-up of the 2025 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division Two.
FORMAT
Each team in the Division One Qualifier will compete in three group matches. The leading two teams from each group will move on to the knockout rounds, with the semi-final winners advancing to the final. Both finalists will qualify for the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
HISTORY
Uganda won the Africa Qualifier tournament held in Windhoek in 2017. The 2019 ICC Women’s Qualifier Africa took place in Zimbabwe, where the host nation defeated Namibia by 50 runs in the final to claim the title. However, in July 2019, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Zimbabwe Cricket, barring the team from participating in ICC events. As a result, Namibia was confirmed by the ICC to replace Zimbabwe in the 2019 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament.
Namibia topped Group B, winning all their matches to secure a place in the semi-finals, with Uganda joining them as group runners-up. In Group A, Zimbabwe finished with a perfect record, setting up a semi-final clash against Uganda. Both Zimbabwe and Namibia won their respective semi-final matches to advance to the tournament final. Zimbabwe defeated Namibia by 13 runs in the final to qualify for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament. Zimbabwe defeated Thailand for third place in the 2022 World Twenty20 Qualifier.
The 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier was part of the pathway to the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The tournament began with Division Two, featuring eight teams and taking place in Botswana in 2023. Botswana and Kenya secured their places in Division One by reaching the Division Two final, where Kenya won by nine wickets. In Division One, Zimbabwe and Uganda advanced to the final, earning qualification for the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier. Zimbabwe went on to defeat Uganda in the final.
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