Twenty sports will feature in the 23rd Commonwealth Games, with events to be held in various towns of the state of Victoria.
The Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia today unveiled their full program for the multi-sport event, with Golf, BMX and Coastal Rowing all making their debuts.
Cricket was re-included in the Commonwealth Games program for 2022 having previously been in the Kuala Lumpur Games of 1998, where men competed in a 50-over competition, won by South Africa. In 2022, women across eight teams competed in a T20I competition.
ICC General Manager – Cricket, Wasim Khan, expressed excitement towards the growth of women's cricket, taking it one step closer to fulfilling its ambitions of being included in the Olympic Games.
“We are delighted to know that women’s cricket will be part of the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. It will be another significant landmark for the sport after its huge success in recent years, including Birmingham. The continued growth and upward trajectory of both the women’s game and T20 cricket fits perfectly with our long-term ambitions that include being part of the Olympic Games.
“Women’s cricket has witnessed a sharp upward curve with rising standards and a rapidly increasing fan base. The sight of 86,174 fans in Melbourne for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 still lives strong in our memories and so we just can’t wait for another opportunity to showcase the women’s game, this time in Victoria in 2026,” added Khan.
2026 hosts Australia will be the defending gold-medallists in the Women’s T20 event after victory in Birmingham, holding on in a nine-run victory over India at Edgbaston back in August. Making just 157 thanks to a half-century from Beth Mooney, Australia were second best for most of the match, with Harmanpreet Kaur making a fifty of her own in reply. Needing 17 runs from the final two overs, India lost four wickets to be all out in the final over. In the Bronze Medal Match, New Zealand were too strong for England, chasing down the hosts’ score of 110 inside 12 overs.
Victoria 2026 will run from 17-29 March 2026, with four regional hubs in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland.