Leeds will be pitch perfect for cricket fans during Women’s T20 World Cup

Headingley Stadium is one of seven venues nationwide playing host to matches during the 12-team cricket tournament, which got under way on Friday.

The famous old ground will join the party tomorrow (Wednesday, June 17) as it stages not one but two games – Australia versus Bangladesh and India versus the Netherlands, starting at 10.30am and 2.30pm respectively.

They will be followed this Saturday by England versus Scotland (6.30pm start), with limited tickets now available for what is one of the three-week tournament’s showpiece fixtures.

And people heading to Leeds’s WT20WC matches were today told to expect something special from a city well versed in hosting the kind of major sporting events that can both raise its profile and boost the local economy.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, said:

“Leeds is a city that lives and breathes sport of all kinds, from world-class professional action in packed stadiums to grassroots games on park pitches.

“That level of passion means everyone – fans, players, coaches and support staff – involved with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup fixtures at Headingley can look forward to electric atmospheres, both inside and outside the ground.

“Our city has a proud track record of staging sporting events and, as a result, we know how occasions like this benefit our profile and our economy.

“I’m sure the matches here – and indeed across the tournament as a whole – will be a brilliant advert for women’s cricket.”

The other WT20WC games being staged at Headingley are West Indies versus Scotland (June 18, 6.30pm) and Australia versus Pakistan (June 23, 6.30pm).

Each matchday will have a festival feel, with local DJ Gracie Garcia spinning a selection of specially curated tunes for fans at the ground.

And the buzz generated by the tournament won’t be confined to Headingley, thanks to a programme of cricket-themed activities taking place on City Square and Briggate from 10am to 6pm this Friday and 10am to 5pm this Saturday.

The city centre events are free to attend, with no advance booking required, and will give fans of all ages the chance to:

• Represent Leeds in a ‘Run Chase Challenge’;
• Test their skills against the clock with fast-paced, cricket-inspired games;
• Get creative by designing banners showing support for their favourite team;
• Learn more about the various team captains through an interactive experience; 
• Find out how to get involved in cricket locally, whether that’s by playing, volunteering or simply supporting.

Matchday information and ticketing details for the tournament’s Headingley fixtures can be found here.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is held every two years, with 2026’s edition set to be the biggest ever.

A capacity crowd of 18,814 packed into Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium to watch India take on Pakistan during its opening weekend, while total ticket sales across all seven venues have already topped 200,000.

Leeds’s role in the tournament underlines its reputation as one of the country’s sporting capitals and follows hot on the heels of confirmation that the Grand Départ of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift women’s cycle race is coming to the city next July.

That event will make Leeds the first place outside mainland Europe to host the start of stage one of a Grand Départ for both the men’s Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Around 230,000 people descended on the city centre to cheer the riders on their way during the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in 2014, with another two million spectators lining the rest of the race’s Yorkshire route.

A report by Leeds City Council and UK Sport showed the 2014 Grand Départ boosted Yorkshire’s economy by more than £100m, with further long-term benefits predicted through increased tourism, profile and trade deals.

Other prominent sporting occasions hosted by the city in recent years include IRONMAN Leeds as well as fixtures during 2019's ICC Cricket World Cup and 2022’s Rugby League World Cup.

ENDS