Australia added another golden chapter to their rich World Cup history as they captured the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 title on Sunday.
In front of a record crowd of more than 28,000 at Lord’s Cricket Ground, Australia ended England’s perfect record at home World Cups with a seven-wicket win in the final.
Australia completed their invincible run at the tournament in style, chasing down England’s total of 150/4 to register the highest successful run chase in a Women’s T20 World Cup final. Beth Mooney anchored the chase once again with 64 off 49 balls as Australia finished at 153/3 in 17.1 overs.
The title marks Australia’s seventh T20 World Cup crown and their 14th women’s World Cup overall. England had won all six of their matches heading into the final, but their all-round brilliance was not enough to stop their arch-rivals.
Australia chose to field first and produced a clinical bowling performance to keep England’s star-studded batting lineup quiet. They took wickets at regular intervals, bowled to their field and controlled the scoring rate throughout the innings.
England lost both openers before the end of the powerplay and never found early momentum. Lucy Hamilton picked up her first wicket in a T20 World Cup when she had Amy Jones caught at backward point in the second over. Danni Wyatt-Hodge, the tournament’s highest run scorer, could not break free either and fell to Annabel Sutherland after the ball brushed her glove and Mooney completed the catch.
Nat Sciver-Brunt once again carried England’s batting effort. The England captain had missed three group stage matches with a calf injury but returned for the knockout rounds and made an instant impact. Following her half-century in the semifinal against South Africa, Sciver-Brunt posted a battling 58 off 53 balls in the final.
Alice Capsey added 23, but it was an unbeaten 80-run stand off 55 balls between Sciver-Brunt and Freya Kemp that pushed England to a competitive total. Kemp struck four fours and a six for a quickfire 44 off 28 balls, giving the England innings late impetus.
Australia’s bowling effort was a collective one, with Kim Garth, Hamilton, Sutherland and Sophie Molineux each taking a wicket. Despite the late surge, England did not put enough runs on the board to trouble their opponents.
Georgia Voll set the tone for the chase by hitting the first ball of the innings for four. She did not last long at the crease, but Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield took over and launched the Australian chase, reaching 62/1 in the powerplay.
The pair continued to find the boundary after the fielding restrictions eased, building a 100-run stand off 67 balls. Litchfield took the sting out of the loss of the early wicket with her aggressive stroke play, striking two sixes and six fours for 48 off 35 balls. Mooney finished with 64 off 49 balls, including 10 fours.
The innings marked Mooney’s third half-century in a T20 World Cup final, following her fifties in the 2020 and 2023 championship matches.
Charlie Dean bowled Litchfield and Sophie Ecclestone trapped Mooney leg before wicket, but both batters had already taken Australia within touching distance of the target. Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner guided the side home in 17.1 overs.
The win capped an emphatic tournament for Australia, taking the team to the summit of T20 cricket after three years.
