2025 World Cup Fixture Schedule Released
The tournament will feature 32 teams from nine countries competing across four divisions, with a mammoth 171 matches to take place over eight days.
The Big Picture
[2025 Indoor Cricket World Cup - Full Draw]
[2025 Indoor Cricket World Cup Website]
With under three weeks to go until the tournament commences, the draw for the 2025 World Cup has been released, featuring a packed schedule which will see 32 teams from nine countries compete in 171 matches over eight days.
The World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) released the schedule yesterday for the event which is being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, starting 27 September. In what is expected to be an extremely congested schedule, the first seven days will feature eight sessions per day across three courts, with the first session at 8:30pm local time, and the last session at 8:45pm.
Only one court will be use in at the U-Pro Colombo centre, whilst both courts will be utilised at the Austasia Sports and Leisure Centre complex nearby. The final day on 4 October will feature four sessions with Cup and Plate grand finals taking place at both venues simultaneously.
Hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, India, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be competing in each of the four divisions - Open Men, Open Women, Under-22 Men and Under-22 Women.
South Africa are sending three sides for the event with the exclusion of an Under-22 Women’s side, whilst Singapore will contest the Open Men and Women’s divisions. Sri Lanka are also putting forward Development sides (‘A’ sides, as allowed by the WICF for the host of a tournament) for the Open Men and Under-22 Men, whilst USA will make their debut in an Opens World Cup following their Masters debut this year, being the ninth nation and the tenth team in the Open Men’s division.
Divisions, Teams and Format
Open Men
Teams: 10
Nations: Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Development, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, UAE, India, USA.
Format: Single round-robin
Finals Series - Cup:
Major Semi-Final (1st vs 2nd)
Minor Semi-Final (3rd vs 4th)
Preliminary Final (Loser of 1st/2nd vs Winner of 3rd/4th)
Grand Final
Finals Series - Plate:
7th vs 10th
8th vs 9th
Plate Semi-Final 1 (5th vs Winner of 8th/9th)
Plate Semi-Final 2 (6th vs Winner of 7th/10th)
Grand Final
Open Women
Teams: 8
Nations: Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, UAE, India, Singapore.
Format:
Stage 1 - Single round-robin
Stage 2 - Top four move into Cup phase, bottom four move into Plate phase, with points carried over the round-robin. The top four teams play each other once more, and bottom four teams will do the same.
Finals series - Cup:
The top two placed teams after Stage 2 will meet in the Grand Final.
Finals series - Plate:
The teams placed fifth and sixth (the two highest in the Plate phase) after Stage 2 will meet in the Grand Final.
Finals series - Plate:
Under-22 Men
Teams: 8
Nations: Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Development, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, UAE, India.
Format:
Stage 1 - Single round-robin
Stage 2 - Top four move into Cup phase, bottom four move into Plate phase, with points carried over the round-robin. The top four teams play each other once more, and bottom four teams will do the same.
Finals series - Cup:
The top two placed teams after Stage 2 will meet in the Grand Final.
Finals series - Plate:
The teams placed fifth and sixth (the two highest in the Plate phase) after Stage 2 will meet in the Grand Final.
Under-22 Women
Teams: 6
Nations: Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, UAE, India, USA.
Format: Double round-robin
Finals series - Cup:
First place directly qualifies for the Grand Final
Preliminary Final - 2nd vs 3rd
Grand Final
Finals series - Plate:
Fourth place directly qualifies for the Grand Final
Preliminary Final - 5th vs 6th
Grand Final
Each match of the tournament will be streamed live on the U-Pro Indoor Cricket YouTube Channel. Court 1 at U-Pro Colombo will be the designated broadcast court featuring commentary, whilst Courts 3 and 4 at the Austasia complex will be a live stream only.
The 2025 Indoor Cricket World Cup is being held at the U-Pro Colombo Indoor Sports Centre and Austasia Sports and Leisure Centre Complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 27 September to 4 October.
Image: WICF
