Political Tensions Suspected as Pakistan Opts Out of Women’s World Cup Opening Ceremony

The Women’s ODI World Cup is being hosted by India this year. Despite this, Pakistan will play all of its matches in Sri Lanka. An agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the PCB dictates that the two teams will not play matches in each other’s countries for the next three years. This arrangement began during the Champions Trophy 2025, where the Indian team played all its matches in Dubai while the Champions Trophy was hosted by Pakistan. Similarly, in the Women’s ODI World Cup, the Pakistan women’s team will play all its matches in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pakistan will play its first match in the tournament against Bangladesh on October 2nd. The match between India and Pakistan is scheduled for October 5th in Colombo.