New-Delhi: In a historic decision, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced equal prize money for men and women in World Cup tournaments.
The winners of the Women’s T20 World Cup will be rewarded with USD 2.34 million, a 134 per cent increase on the USD 1 million awarded to Australian women when they clinched the title in South Africa in 2023, said the ICC in a statement.
The two losing semi-finalists will earn USD 6,75,000 (up from USD 2,10,000 in 2023), with the overall prize pot totalling USD 79,58,080, a massive increase of 225 per cent from last year’s total fund of USD 2.45 million.
“The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be the first ICC event where women will receive the same prize money as their male counterparts, marking a significant milestone in the sport’s history,” said the ICC.
“The decision was taken at the ICC Annual Conference in July 2023, when the ICC Board took the step of reaching its prize money equity target seven years ahead of its schedule of 2030, making cricket the only major team sport to have equal prize money for its men’s and women’s World Cup events.”
India, who won the men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, received USD 2.45 million in cash prize.
The Women’s T20 World Cup begins in the UAE from October 3 with Bangladesh taking on Scotland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. There has been a minor change to the match order for the doubleheader on October 5 in Sharjah, with Australia now facing Sri Lanka in the afternoon at 14h00 (local time), followed by the Bangladesh versus England match taking the evening slot at 18h00. Ten teams will play 23 matches in Dubai and Sharjah to decide the 2024 champions.