The first-ever ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy is scheduled to begin in Thailand in November 2025, marking a major milestone for Associate-member women’s cricket. The tournament brings together eight Associate teams for a high-performance T20I competition designed to elevate the standard and profile of women’s cricket beyond the traditional full-member nations.
The eight participating teams include five Associate Member sides with women’s ODI status — Thailand, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — along with three other top-ranked T20I Associate teams: Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda. This mix provides a diverse and competitive field, covering four continents.
Host nation Thailand enters the tournament as one of the leading Associate sides. The games will be held across two venues in Bangkok: the Terdthai Cricket Ground and the Asian Institute of Technology Ground. Scheduled formats call for a single round-robin where each team plays every other team once, and at the tournament’s conclusion, the team topping the table will be declared the champion.
The UAE squad has been named, with all-rounder Esha Oza leading as captain. Her squad is expected to field a blend of youth and experience, and their campaign kicks off against PNG. The UAE matches also include key fixtures against the Netherlands, Scotland, Uganda, Tanzania, Thailand, and Namibia — offering a thorough test across different playing styles and conditions.
From a broader perspective, the launch of this tournament aligns with the ICC’s strategic push to deepen and grow women’s cricket. It represents a deliberate effort to provide Associate teams with more meaningful and regular international competition, helping them develop talent and build momentum on the global stage.
ICC leadership has expressed that the Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy is part of a high-performance development pathway, aiming to prepare Associate teams for higher stakes tournaments, including qualifiers and future global events. By giving more international exposure to these teams, the ICC hopes to accelerate their readiness for top-tier competitions.
Cricketing analysts and fans alike see this as a turning point for Associate women’s cricket. The tournament allows for competitive match exposure in conditions that will challenge teams tactically and technically. For many players, this is a rare opportunity to test themselves in a structured multi-nation setup that was previously hard to come by at this level.
As the inaugural tournament kicks off, all eyes will be on how emerging teams perform, who becomes the early frontrunner, and which side establishes itself as the rising power in Associate women’s T20 cricket. The results could shape the trajectory of women’s cricket in these nations for years to come — and potentially influence the structure of future global women’s tournaments.
In essence, the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2025 marks more than just a new tournament: it’s a foundational step in democratizing and strengthening opportunities for women’s cricket, elevating the Associate tier, and creating a more inclusive and competitive future for the sport.
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