Pakistan will not be in the first ICC Women's Champions Trophy 2027 and will be hosted by India. The six-team tournament is scheduled from February 14 to 28, 2027 and should be played in Mumbai and Vadodara.
Pakistan's absence has attracted attention because the tournament will be the first edition of the Women's Champions Trophy. But the reason is straightforward. Pakistan did not qualify within the qualification areas in the ICC Women's T20I Team Rankings at the cut-off date.
How did teams qualify?
The first Women's Champions Trophy will consist of just six teams.
The teams were qualified according to their positions in the ICC Women's T20I Team Rankings as of July 6, 2026. India took the place as host and the other teams received the best place of the best eligible teams.
The six teams taking part are:
India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka.
Pakistan did not make the cut.
This means the absence of Pakistan is largely a qualification issue instead of a decision to exclude the team as that the tournament is hosted by India.
Pakistan failed to make the Top 6
The most important factor is Pakistan's position in the T20I rankings at the qualification cut-off.
The ICC used the rankings from July 6, 2026 to determine the participating teams. Pakistan was outside the required top positions and therefore missed out on the tournament.
India, as hosts, was guaranteed a place. The other teams secured their positions based on their rankings.
Therefore, even though Pakistan is an ICC Full Member and regularly plays international tournaments, in this six-team competition it did not guarantee a place in.
No India-Pakistan match in the tournament
Pakistan's absence also means there will be no India vs Pakistan match in the opening Women's Champions Trophy.
India will instead face Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka in the league stage.
The tournament will be in a round-robin format, and each of the six teams will play every other team once. The top two teams at the end of the league stage will qualify for the final on February 28.
Such a format leaves very little room for teams that miss the qualification cut-off because there are only six places available.
Why is the tournament hosted by India?
The Women's Champions Trophy was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka.
But the ICC later canceled Sri Lanka as the host because of the country’s cricket administration and government involvement. The ICC has said that an autonomous cricket administration can be established in the absence of political interference.
India was later selected to host the first edition.
The tournament will be held in two venues with match-ups scheduled in Mumbai and Vadodara. It will run from 14 February to 28 February 2027.
Women's Champions Trophy To Be Played In T20 Format
Another point is that the Women's Champions Trophy will not follow the traditional ODI format associated with the men's Champions Trophy.
The first women's edition will be played in the T20 format.
The competition is part of the ICC’s plan to nurture women’s international cricket opportunities and expand the global women’s cricket calendar.
The tournament will be short and always very competitive as only six teams will participate. Every league match will have great importance because teams just have five games to make it to the final.
Pakistan will host the women's T20 World Cup in 2028.
Pakistan's absence from the 2027 Champions Trophy does not mean the country has been removed from the ICC's major women's cricket calendar.
Pakistan has been awarded the hosting rights for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2028. The ICC has also approved a qualification pathway for that tournament.
The agreement also includes a provision that India's matches at the 2028 event will be played at a neutral venue.
Hence, Pakistan will still have a major ICC women's tournament on home soil in the next year.
What does Pakistan's absence mean?
For Pakistan, missing the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy is a significant setback because only six teams will participate.
The tournament provides an opportunity for the leading women's cricket teams to compete against each other in a high-profile ICC event. Pakistan's failure to qualify means the team will miss out on that opportunity.
For fans, the biggest immediate issue is the absence of an India-Pakistan women's cricket match in the tournament.
At the same time, the qualification system provides the event with a clear structure of competition. Teams needed to maintain a good T20I ranking to stay in a good position to secure their place.
The Bottom Line
Pakistan is not part of the ICC Women's Champions Trophy 2027 because it did not qualify through the ranking-based selection process.
The six-team tournament will include India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. India will host the competition in Mumbai and Vadodara from February 14 to 28, 2027.
So even though India is hosting the tournament, Pakistan's absence is largely about qualification based on the ICC Women's T20I rankings, not just the location of the event.
