Australia have done it again. On Sunday at a sold-out Lord’s, Sophie Molineux‘s side beat hosts England by seven wickets to lift the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 — their seventh title in ten editions. Beth Mooney‘s unbeaten fifty, built on a rapid century stand with Phoebe Litchfield, sealed a chase of 151 in just 17.1 overs and ended England’s unbeaten run at their home tournament.
It’s the latest chapter in a competition that has, since 2009, grown from an eight-team curtain-raiser alongside the men’s World T20 into a full-blown 12-team global spectacle. Let’s have a look at how every edition has unfolded, champion by champion.
Complete story of every ICC Women’s T20 World Cup winner
2009 (England) — England win the inaugural title at Lord’s
The Women’s T20 World Cup began life in 2009, staged in England alongside the men’s tournament. Charlotte Edwards‘ side went unbeaten through the competition, knocking out Australia in the semi-final before bowling New Zealand out for just 85 in the final at Lord’s. England chased the total down with six wickets and three overs in hand to become the first-ever champions. It remains the only Women’s T20 World Cup England have won — and, until this year, the last time they played a final on home soil.
2010 (West Indies) — Australia edge New Zealand by three runs
Hosted in the Caribbean, this edition marked the start of Australia’s long era of dominance. With Jodie Fields injured, Alex Blackwell led the side in the final against New Zealand in Bridgetown. Australia posted a modest 106 but defended it superbly, winning by just three runs — still the narrowest margin of victory in a Women’s T20 World Cup final. It was Australia’s first title in the format.
2012 (Sri Lanka) — Australia retain the crown in Colombo
Australia became the first team to successfully defend the Women’s T20 World Cup, beating England by four runs in a tense final in Colombo. After posting 142/4, Jess Jonassen‘s three-wicket haul anchored a disciplined bowling effort that kept England’s chase just out of reach. England captain Edwards was named Player of the Tournament despite the final-day heartbreak.
2014 (Bangladesh) — Australia complete a hat-trick under Meg Lanning
With the tournament now expanded to ten teams, new captain Meg Lanning led Australia to a third consecutive title in Mirpur. Australia chased down England’s total of 106 with 29 balls to spare, winning by eight wickets and becoming the first team — men’s or women’s — to win three straight T20 World Cups.
2016 (India) — West Indies stun Australia at Eden Gardens
The biggest upset in the tournament’s history arrived in Kolkata. Facing an Australian side chasing a fourth straight title, Stafanie Taylor‘s West Indies produced a famous chase built around an explosive 66 off 45 balls from an 18-year-old Hayley Matthews. West Indies won their maiden — and to date only — Women’s T20 World Cup, ending Australia’s stranglehold on the trophy.
2018 (West Indies) — Australia restore order
Back in the Caribbean for the first standalone edition of the tournament (no longer paired with the men’s event), Australia bowled England out for just 105 in the final and cruised home by eight wickets in 15.1 overs. Alyssa Healy finished as the competition’s leading run-scorer and was named Player of the Tournament, as Lanning lifted her second title as captain.
2020 (Australia) — A record crowd crowns Australia’s fifth title
Played on home soil, the 2020 edition produced one of the most iconic days in women’s cricket history. In front of 86,174 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground — still a world-record attendance for a women’s sporting fixture — Australia posted 184/4 and bowled India out for 99, winning by 85 runs, the biggest margin of victory in a final to date. Mooney and Megan Schutt starred as Australia claimed a fifth title, and a maiden final appearance ended in disappointment for India.
2023 (South Africa) — Australia complete a second hat-trick
South Africa became hosts and finalists, reaching their first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup final after edging past England in the semis. But Australia, inspired by an unbeaten 74 from Mooney, posted 156/6 in Cape Town and restricted the hosts to 137/6, winning by 19 runs at Newlands. It was Australia’s sixth title overall and completed a second hat-trick of consecutive crowns (2018, 2020, 2023) — with Lanning becoming the most successful captain in the competition’s history, with four titles.
2024 (UAE) — New Zealand finally break through
Originally scheduled for Bangladesh but relocated to the UAE due to political unrest, the 2024 tournament delivered a genuine changing of the guard. Australia were stunned in the semi-finals by South Africa — the first time since 2009 they had missed a final — clearing the way for Sophie Devine‘s New Zealand. Amelia Kerr was sensational throughout, finishing with 135 runs and 15 wickets to sweep both the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards, as New Zealand beat South Africa by 32 runs in Dubai to win their maiden title after a 15-year wait for a global crown.
2026 (England) — Australia reclaim the throne at Lord’s
The tenth and biggest edition yet, expanded to 12 teams and hosted across England and Wales, ended fittingly at the home of cricket. Having missed the final for the first time in 2024, Molineux’s Australia responded with an unbeaten campaign through the entire tournament. In the final, hosts England — themselves unbeaten heading in — posted 150/4 thanks to a battling 58 from captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and an unbroken 80-run stand between Sciver-Brunt and Freya Kemp.
It wasn’t enough. Litchfield (48) and Mooney (64) put on a rapid 100-run stand inside 67 balls to blow the chase open, and Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner steered Australia home in 17.1 overs for a seven-wicket win. It was Mooney’s third half-century in a T20 World Cup final — following 2020 and 2023 — and she was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series. The win handed Australia a record-extending seventh title in ten editions and ended a 1,225-day wait since their last World Cup triumph.
Complete list of Women’s T20 World Cup winners
| Year | Host | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | England | England | New Zealand | Won by 6 wickets |
| 2010 | West Indies | Australia | New Zealand | Won by 3 runs |
| 2012 | Sri Lanka | Australia | England | Won by 4 runs |
| 2014 | Bangladesh | Australia | England | Won by 8 wickets |
| 2016 | India | West Indies | Australia | Won by 8 wickets |
| 2018 | West Indies | Australia | England | Won by 8 wickets |
| 2020 | Australia | Australia | India | Won by 85 runs |
| 2023 | South Africa | Australia | South Africa | Won by 19 runs |
| 2024 | UAE | New Zealand | South Africa | Won by 32 runs |
| 2026 | England | Australia | England | Won by 7 wickets |
Also READ: Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in Women’s T20 World Cup ft. Shabnim Ismail
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
