Kids Can Enjoy Free Entry to Women’s T-20 World Cup 2024

The Women’s T-20 World Cup is heading to the United Arab Emirates this October, and in an effort to make the event more accessible, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that children under the age of 18 can attend for free.

The World Cup is set to run from October 3-20; the 10-team tournament will battle it out in 23 matches across 18 days. While the World Cup was originally awarded to Bangladesh, it was recently switched to the UAE — the first global women’s cricket event to be held in the region.

The ICC revealed the pricing strategy, which will see match tickets starting from just five dirhams ($1.36), as well as free entry for children.

ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice noted in a statement that “one of the exciting things about the UAE is its diversity.”

“It’s a place where the entire world is represented!” Allardice said. “This means that this is effectively a home World Cup for all 10 teams and players can enjoy the support of passionate fans.”

Allardice went on to say that in addition to the low ticket prices, the ICC will be working with the ECB and the Dubai Sports Council on “the legacy of the event.” The pair plans to hold criio festivals, which will give more than 500 girls the opportunity to “get involved in the game and have a fun first experience of cricket.”

To mark the announcement, the ICC released a video of a laser show on the tournament at the iconic Burj Khalifa.

Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Board Member Zaid Abbas, who joined Allardice at the press conference, said the ECB is “delighted to stage the ICC Women’s T-20 World Cup in the UAE.”

“The Emirates Cricket Board has rich experience and the proven pedigree of hosting top-class cricket, and we are once again ready to deliver another world-class event,” he said.

Throughout the tournament, 20 league matches will be held across Dubai and Sharjah, starting with Bangladesh taking on Scotland in Sharjah on October 3. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 17 in Dubai and October 18 in Sharjah, with the final set to take place in Dubai on 20 October.

Ahead of the main event, teams will participate in warm-up matches from September 28 to October 1.