Saudi Arabia plans to put its stamp on the cricket world and change it forever. They’ll be featuring a new women’s T20 tournament, which should feature the best cricketers from all around the world. This innovative pilot will begin September or October 2026 and last five years. It is bidding to win a permanent place in the international cricket calendar.
FairBreak has been planning this tournament to increase gender equality in sports. It will involve six teams, each consisting of 15 players. Nineteen thrilling individual matches will be contested throughout the tournament. It will include an exciting round-robin group stage, then two heated semi-finals, before culminating in an explosive all-women’s final. This project shines a light on Saudi Arabia’s fervent new love of cricket. Most importantly, it seeks to open new pathways for women across the country to participate in the sport.
This new women’s T20 tournament will feature players from more than 35 nations, ensuring a diverse representation of talent from both full member nations and Associate countries. A competitive selection panel will assign players to teams fairly. This is a departure from the secretive auction formats typically found in most cricket tournaments.
The tournament’s salary model hasn’t been determined so far. That it will include three or four wage ranges isn’t in doubt. The predicted impacts for the medium and lower salary brackets are between £3,800 – £15,000. Just last year, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt reportedly raked in £320,000 during India’s Women’s Premier League. This jarring juxtaposition highlights the extreme pay disparity between female cricketers. To put that into context, the best players in The Hundred were set to make £65,000 in 2025, with those figures expected to rise to around £100,000 in 2026.
FairBreak has experience in running tournaments designed to improve women’s cricket. The inaugural events were successfully hosted in Dubai and Hong Kong in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The company’s new vision is a clear indication of that commitment to inclusivity in the world of sports.
“This is about building something meaningful, with real momentum and global relevance,” – FairBreak representative
The tournament’s structure is designed not only to enhance the status of women’s cricket but to foster community engagement and encourage participation among Saudi women.
“It’s giving opportunities to people, irrespective of who they are and from which background they come from,” – FairBreak representative
Saudi Arabia’s decision to host this mega-tournament brings significant attention to its focus on economic diversification. Further, it showcases the country’s commitment to building a sporting culture throughout the country. The launch of women’s cricket advances the kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative. This collective effort is focused on increasing the number of women in the pipeline across all sectors.
Cricket fans around the world hope this tournament will be a shot in the arm for women’s cricket, which has been growing at an incredible rate. With the added rostering flexibility, these groups of players from different backgrounds will lead to interesting and exciting team dynamics while creating international friendships.
“No other cricket tournament provides an opportunity for so many players to play together, and all the continents represented,” – FairBreak representative
As excitement builds ahead of this historic event, stakeholders within the cricket community look forward to welcoming female athletes from around the globe to Saudi Arabia. The tournament is about so much more than soccer. It has the power to shift perceptions of female athletes throughout the region.
Leave a Reply