Singapore: England will stage the next three editions of the World Test Championship (WTC) finals in 2027, 2029, and 2031, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced. All three WTC finals so far have been held in England, with South Africa defeating Australia in the 2025 showpiece at Lords last month.
According to BBC, at its annual conference in Singapore, the ICC stated that it awarded hosting rights for the next three finals to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) "following a successful track record in hosting recent finals." Although England has not yet reached the WTC final and finished fifth in the 2023-25 cycle, the country was chosen to continue hosting due to its established reputation for organizing major cricket events.
Gould expressed that being awarded the next three finals was a testament to the passion that fans in England have for this treasured format of the game and the willingness of supporters from around the world to travel for these games. He added that hosting these finals is a privilege and looked forward to collaborating with the ICC to build on the success of the previous editions.
The ICC also provided an update on its support for Afghanistan women's cricketers. In April, the governing body announced a dedicated task force to support displaced female cricketers from Afghanistan, with the assistance of the ECB, Cricket Australia, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Many of Afghanistan's leading players fled after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, as female participation in sport was effectively outlawed.
The ICC indicated that the programme aims to deliver structured support through high-performance initiatives, domestic playing opportunities, and engagement at key ICC global events, including the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in England.