The Complete History of the Women's Cricket World Cup: Every Tournament, Every Winner

It began two years before the men got round to it. In the summer of 1973, seven teams assembled in England for the first Cricket World Cup of any kind. It was a women’s tournament, driven by Rachael Heyhoe-Flint’s force of personality, and it launched a history that now spans half a century and 12 editions. Here is every Women’s Cricket World Cup, from a seven-team experiment played over 60 overs to the sold-out spectacle at Lord’s that changed the sport forever.

At a glance: The Women’s Cricket World Cup began in 1973, two years before the men’s tournament. Twelve editions later, Australia lead with 7 titles, England have 4, and New Zealand have 1. India have been runners-up twice and are still chasing their first title.

The pioneers: 1973

The first tournament was not an ICC event. It was funded by a businessman named Jack Hayward, persuaded by Heyhoe-Flint, who believed women’s cricket deserved a global stage. Seven sides entered: England, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, a Young England side, and an International XI made up of players from the rest of the world. Matches were 60 overs a side. There was no final; the winner was decided by a round-robin league table.

England, captained by Heyhoe-Flint, won four of their six matches and were crowned champions at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Enid Bakewell scored a century and took crucial wickets. Australia finished second. The tournament lost money, but it proved that women’s cricket had an audience, and that the concept of a world championship worked. Two years later, the men launched their own version.

Australia’s dynasty: 1978 to 1988

India hosted the second World Cup in 1978, but it was Australia who claimed the trophy. Captained by Margaret Jennings, they topped the points table ahead of England. The format remained a round-robin league with no knockout match, but the result was decisive: Australia had arrived as a world force.

They did not leave. In 1982 in New Zealand, the tournament introduced a proper final. Australia beat England by three wickets at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Sharon Tredrea lifted the trophy and would do so again in 1988, when Australia hosted and crushed England by eight wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Three titles in a row. No side had ever dominated an international cricket competition so completely at the time.

England’s answer and the shift to 50 overs: 1993

The 1993 World Cup was a reset. The tournament moved from 60 overs to 50, aligning with the men’s ODI format. It returned to England, and the hosts reclaimed the trophy after a 20-year wait. Karen Smithies captained England to a 67-run victory over New Zealand at Lord’s, with Jan Brittin providing the batting spine of the campaign.

Australia resume normal service: 1997 to 2013

It did not. Belinda Clark, one of cricket’s most commanding figures, led Australia to a five-wicket win over New Zealand at Eden Gardens in 1997. Her team was methodical and deep. Australia won again in 2005 in South Africa, thrashing a rising India side by 98 runs at Centurion in India’s first final. England briefly interrupted the dynasty in 2009 when Charlotte Edwards guided her side past New Zealand in Sydney, but Australia struck back in 2013 in Mumbai, crushing West Indies by 114 runs in a final that marked the Caribbean’s first appearance on the biggest stage.

The New Zealand miracle: 2000

Sandwiched between the Australian titles is the tournament’s most cherished upset. New Zealand, on home soil, faced Australia in the 2000 final at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. Emily Drumm’s side posted 184. Australia fell four runs short. The White Ferns had their World Cup, and Debbie Hockley, one of the game’s all-time greats, finally had the medal that mattered most. No final has been tighter. None has meant more to a nation still searching for a second title.

The Lord’s final: 2017

If the 1973 tournament started the story, the 2017 final at Lord’s gave it its defining chapter. A sold-out crowd of 26,500 packed into the home of cricket. Millions watched on television around the world. India, led by Mithali Raj, posted 219. England were 63 for three, then 164 for seven. The match looked gone.

Anya Shrubsole had other ideas. Her spell of six for 46 tore through India’s lower order. England won by nine runs in one of the greatest comebacks in any sport. Heather Knight lifted the trophy. Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, watching from the stands, called it the day she never thought she would see. The women’s game had not just arrived. It had taken centre stage.

Australia’s seventh: 2022

Any suggestion that the 2017 final would loosen Australia’s grip was dispelled in Christchurch five years later. Meg Lanning’s side met England in the 2022 final at Hagley Oval. Alyssa Healy walked to the crease and produced an innings for the ages: 170 runs from 138 balls, the highest individual score in any World Cup final, male or female. Australia won by 71 runs and claimed their seventh title. The dynasty endures.

The growth of the tournament

The Women’s Cricket World Cup has grown from seven teams to eight, and from a privately funded experiment to a global ICC event. The shift from 60 overs to 50 in 1993 professionalised the format. The 2017 final broadcast the game to an audience that had never seen it before. Each decade has added something: the 1970s gave it life, the 1980s gave it a dynasty, the 1990s gave it structure, the 2000s gave it a classic final, and the 2010s gave it a mainstream audience.

Twelve tournaments. Four nations have lifted the trophy. Australia lead with seven. England have four. New Zealand have one. India, runners-up in 2005 and 2017, chase their moment. The foundation Rachael Heyhoe-Flint laid in 1973 now supports a sport that fills stadiums and inspires the next generation. Not bad for a tournament that started with a handwritten invitation and a dream.

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Sources: ICC, The Guardian, 27 July 2026.

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