Sports: The International Cricket Council on Monday announced the Future Tours Programme for women’s international cricket for 2025-29. The FTP outlines details for the fourth edition of the ICC Women’s Championship. The new cycle of the Championship expands to 11 teams from 10 in the current cycle.

Zimbabwe are the 11th team making their debut in this edition of the Women's Championships. Each team will play four home and four away series in the upcoming Championship cycle. Zimbabwe, who are making their debut, will host South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland and will play away series against India, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

India's schedule for Women's Championship schedule

India will also be playing four home and four away series. The Women in Blue will host England, defending champions Australia, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, while they will travel to New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Ireland away from their home. A total of 44 series will take place in the upcoming Women's Championship with a total of 132 ODIs. 

The new FTP will have ICC tournaments being held every year starting from the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 in India. The Women’s T20 World Cup will take place the next year in 2026 while the inaugural edition of the Women's Champions Trophy will be held in 2027. The teams will then gear for a T20 World Cup again, which takes place in 2028. 

The upcoming FTP will also see a rise in the number of Test matches with Australia playing in the most number of red-ball games. The Aussies will play eight Tests with multi-format series against England, India, South Africa and West Indies.

"We are delighted to announce the new Women's FTP. The ODIs within the Women's Championship will continue to provide both context and a pathway to the Women's Cricket World Cup 2029. The FTP also provides clarity for teams and the fans," said Wasim Khan, ICC's General Manager of Cricket, in an ICC Press Release.

"We are pleased that the new edition of the IWC has expanded and will include Zimbabwe as an eleventh team.

"It is heartening that Member Boards are keen to play across formats, and also that they have planned tri-series to prepare for ICC events. The effort made by the Members to provide a balanced and contextual calendar will further elevate the women's game. We thank Member Boards for their commitment and collaboration in finalizing the FTP," he added.