Pakistan Seeks Most 2028 Women's T20 World Cup Matches as UAE Considered for India

Pakistan targets both groups and a possible Lahore final

Pakistan wants to stage every match of the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup that does not involve India, with the United Arab Emirates emerging as the likely location for India's games. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has scheduled the tournament for September 7 to October 1, 2028, with 12 teams and Pakistan as the main host.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wants matches from both groups, along with the knockout games in which India is not playing. An unnamed board official also said Lahore would host the final if India did not qualify, although the ICC has yet to confirm the neutral venue or the allocation of matches.

The central issue is how the tournament will be divided between its main host and a neutral country. The ICC confirmed in December 2024 that neutral venue arrangements would extend to the 2028 women's tournament. Pakistan's latest position concerns how that arrangement should work in practice.

In its December 2024 ICC Events update, the ICC Board approved neutral venues proposed by the tournament host for India-Pakistan matches at ICC events hosted in either country during the 2024–2027 rights cycle. That decision covered the 2025 Champions Trophy, the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup and the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup. The announcement also awarded the PCB hosting rights for the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup, stating that "neutral venue arrangements will also apply".

The ICC Board subsequently endorsed the tournament's qualification pathway, with its women's cricket pathway statement confirming that India's matches would be played at a neutral venue. That statement did not specify the neutral venue, the proposed match allocation or whether Lahore would host a final without India.

For players and spectators, the eventual decision will determine which teams compete in Pakistan, which must travel abroad and where the trophy is awarded. For the PCB, it will also determine how much of a major international women's competition takes place in front of its home crowds.

What Pakistan is asking to host

The PCB's proposal would keep games from both groups in Pakistan while moving those involving India to a neutral venue. Pakistan is therefore seeking the largest possible share of the competition within the agreed arrangement, rather than asking to stage India's matches.

An unnamed PCB official described the board's preferred allocation:

"We would like to host matches of both groups and the knockout matches where the Indian team is not involved," he said.

A group stage is the opening part of a tournament, when teams compete for places in the next round. Knockout matches then decide who advances, with the losing side eliminated. Under Pakistan's proposal, India's progress would help determine how many of those later matches take place outside the host country.

Why the UAE is the leading option

The UAE's main attraction is its proximity to Pakistan. Teams playing India could travel between the two countries without the longer journeys that a more distant neutral host would require. The PCB source cited easier logistics and lower costs as reasons to favour it.

The same unnamed official explained why the board expects the UAE to be considered:

"UAE will probably be the neutral venue of choice for everyone because the travel between Pakistan and Dubai is short, and logistics becomes less expensive and easier to handle," he added.

Dubai also provides a recent operational precedent. India played every match of its victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign there while Pakistan staged the rest of that tournament. Organisers would therefore be returning to a combination of countries already used for an ICC competition.

A neutral venue is a ground outside the country designated as the main host. In this arrangement, India's opponents would also play there whenever they faced India. Its selection consequently affects the travel plans of several teams, not just the Indian squad.

How the reciprocal arrangement developed

India and Pakistan use neutral venues when one country hosts an ICC event involving the other. The arrangement works in both directions: India plays outside Pakistan when Pakistan hosts, and Pakistan plays outside India when India hosts.

The examples span different competitions and formats. The Asia Cup had already used matches in another country in 2023, while the ICC confirmed its reciprocal arrangement in December 2024. The subsequent tournaments show how the approach has been applied:

• 2023: India played its Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka during a tournament hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• December 2024: The ICC confirmed neutral venue arrangements that included the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup.
• 2025: Pakistan hosted the Champions Trophy, with India's matches held in Dubai.
• 2025: Pakistan played its Women's ODI World Cup matches in Colombo during the tournament hosted by India, including its group match against India.
• September 7 to October 1, 2028: Pakistan is scheduled to be the main host of the Women's T20 World Cup.

The women's tournament would continue this reciprocal approach. Its specific match locations still require decisions by the ICC and organisers.

What the Champions Trophy example shows

Pakistan hosted 10 of the 15 matches at the 2025 Champions Trophy, while India played all its matches in the UAE and defeated New Zealand in the Dubai final. Pakistan's share was two thirds of the tournament, calculated from those 10 matches out of 15.

Lahore also staged the semifinal that did not involve India. That is the practical example behind the PCB's request to retain knockout games whenever India is not participating.

The Champions Trophy illustrates how a country can remain the main host while the final takes place elsewhere. Pakistan staged most of the cricket, but India's place in the deciding match meant that the title was awarded in Dubai.

The 2028 competition will feature 12 teams rather than the Champions Trophy's different tournament structure. Pakistan's preferred principle is nevertheless the same: keep matches at home wherever the neutral venue requirement allows.

Why India's progress matters to Lahore

Lahore's chance of hosting the final depends, under the PCB source's proposed arrangement, on whether India reaches it. The official said the title match would take place in Lahore if India failed to qualify.

India is described as one of the leading teams in women's cricket and is expected to contend for a knockout place. Organisers therefore need a workable plan for India's possible participation throughout the competition, including the final.

If India reaches the deciding match, that game would need to fit the neutral venue arrangement. Dubai is the location being discussed, following its role in 2025. Lahore is the PCB source's stated expectation for a final without India, rather than an announced ICC venue decision.

For supporters, this makes the final's location an important part of tournament planning. A team advancing through the competition could affect where its opponents travel and where fans would need to go to watch the title match.

What hosting could bring to women's cricket

Pakistan would receive an ICC hosting fee and funding to cover tournament expenses, according to the PCB source. These are two parts of the financial arrangement: payment for hosting and money to help organise the event. No amounts were given.

The board source also said the competition could strengthen women's cricket in Pakistan. Hosting would give the national team a major international stage at home and bring visiting women's teams before local audiences.

Pakistan also hopes the tournament will support improvements to the facilities used by women's cricket. The immediate opportunity is concrete: preparing grounds and organising a global competition can direct attention and resources toward the women's programme.

The scale of that opportunity will depend partly on the final schedule. Hosting matches from both groups would spread Pakistan's role across more of the competition, while retaining knockout games would keep some of its highest stakes contests in the country.

A busy finish to the 2028 cricket calendar

The women's tournament is scheduled to finish on October 1. The men's T20 World Cup, featuring 20 teams in Australia and New Zealand, is due to begin on October 12 and end on November 12.

Those dates put the start of the men's competition 11 days after the women's final. The women's event will have its own hosting and travel arrangements to settle before attention shifts to the next global T20 tournament.

T20 is cricket's shorter international format, in which each team normally bats for a maximum of 20 overs. The 2028 women's competition will bring 12 national teams into that format, with Pakistan seeking to keep most of their matches on its grounds while accommodating the reciprocal neutral venue agreement.

Key Points

• The 12 team Women's T20 World Cup is scheduled for September 7 to October 1, 2028, with Pakistan as the main host.
• The PCB wants to stage matches from both groups and knockout games that do not involve India.
• The UAE is the leading neutral venue option being discussed for India's matches.
• An unnamed PCB official expects Lahore to host the final if India does not qualify; the ICC has not confirmed that allocation.
• Pakistan hosted 10 of 15 matches at the 2025 Champions Trophy, while India won the final in Dubai.
• Hosting would bring an ICC fee and tournament expense funding, with Pakistan hoping to strengthen its women's cricket programme.