The International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken a monumental step towards gender equality in sports by announcing that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will offer the same prize money as the men's event. This decision marks a significant milestone in cricket’s history and sets a precedent in the sporting world.
This groundbreaking move, decided at the ICC Annual Conference in July 2023, brings forward the ICC’s prize money equity target by seven years, ahead of the initial goal of 2030. With this, cricket becomes the first major team sport to offer equal prize money for its men’s and women’s World Cup events.
The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, now scheduled to take place in the UAE, will see the champions take home a whopping US$2.34 million—a remarkable 134% increase from the $1 million awarded to Australia when they won the 2023 edition in South Africa. Similarly, the runners-up will receive $1.17 million, also a 134% boost from the $500,000 awarded to South Africa for their runner-up finish in 2023.
The total prize pool for the 2024 tournament has surged to $7.96 million, representing a 225% increase compared to the previous year’s fund of $2.45 million. Semi-finalists who don’t make it to the final will also benefit, with each team receiving $675,000, compared to $210,000 in 2023.
This decision aligns with the ICC’s broader strategy to prioritize the growth of the women's game, aiming to accelerate its development by 2032. Teams will now receive equal payouts for comparable achievements at equivalent events, as well as equal match-winning bonuses. Although the men's T20 World Cup in 2024 has a higher total prize pool due to 10 additional teams and 32 more matches, the prize money for equivalent finishing positions is the same.
In group stage matches, each victory will earn teams $31,154, while the six teams that fail to reach the semi-finals will share a pool of $1.35 million. Teams finishing third and fourth in their groups will take home $270,000 each, while fifth-place finishers will receive $135,000. All 10 participating teams are guaranteed at least $112,500, ensuring fair rewards for all.
This increase in prize money for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 follows a similar rise in the prize fund for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, which increased to $3.5 million. The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will kick off on October 3, with Bangladesh facing Scotland at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The tournament will feature 23 matches across Dubai and Sharjah, concluding with the crowning of the new champions.
