The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared equal prize money for men’s and women’s World Cups, which begin with the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE next month. This decision, reached at the ICC Annual Conference in July 2023, marking an important moment in cricket’s history as the first major team sport to attain gender parity in prize money.
The champions of the Women’s T20 World Cup will receive USD 2.34 million, up 134% from the USD 1 million paid to Australia in 2023. The runners-up will win USD 1.17 million, up 134%. The losing semi-finalists will receive USD 675,000, up from USD 210,000 in the previous year. Overall, the prize pool has increased by 225% to USD 7.95 million, up from USD 2.45 million last year.
Teams that win group stage matches will get USD 31,154, while the six teams that do not advance to the semi-finals will receive USD 1.35 million, allocated based on their final positions. Teams finishing third and fourth in their group will each receive USD 270,000, while teams finishing fifth will receive USD 135,000.
The ICC’s move is consistent with its objective to expand the women’s game and attain gender parity by 2032.
