Zimbabwe set to be 11th team in Women's ODI Championship from 2026

Zimbabwe will be included in the next 2026-29 ICC Women's ODI Championship cycle, which is the only pathway to secure a direct qualification for the 2029 Women's World Cup, as reported by Cricbuzz. 

Zimbabwe, therefore, became the 11th member to participate in this championship. The ICC conveyed this development to the relevant boards earlier this month. Among full members, Afghanistan are the only side not to be part of the competition, as they do not have a women's team.

Until 2014, there were only eight participating teams, but for the ongoing 2022-25 cycle, the ICC added Bangladesh and Ireland as the ninth and 10th members. Under the current cycle, each team will play eight series, either home or away, and the top five teams, plus hosts India, will qualify for the World Cup. The remaining four teams take on the next best-ranked sides in Women's ODIs in a Qualifier next year.

Zimbabwe were awarded WODI status in 2021 and are now ranked 14th in the team rankings. Associate sides like the Netherlands (13), Scotland (12) and Thailand (9th) are ranked above them, while Papua New Guinea (15th) are the only team below them.

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