LONDON — Australia won the Women's T20 World Cup for a record seventh time on Sunday, defeating hosts England by seven wickets in the final at Lord's to complete an unbeaten campaign.
Australia chased down England's 150-4 with 17 balls to spare, reaching 153-3 in 17.1 overs. Beth Mooney top-scored with 64 from 49 balls, while Phoebe Litchfield made 48 from 35 as the pair shared a century partnership that put Australia in control of the chase. Ellyse Perry struck the winning runs.
The result gave Australia their seventh Women's T20 World Cup title in 10 editions and their first since 2023. The victory also marked their return to the final after they missed the title match in 2024. Australia had won all of their matches in the tournament, including an eight-wicket semi-final victory over the West Indies.
England, playing in front of a record crowd of more than 28,000 at the London ground, were unable to convert a strong tournament run into their second title. The hosts had also entered the final unbeaten, having defeated South Africa by 40 runs in the semi-final.
Nat Sciver-Brunt led England's scoring with an unbeaten half-century, while Freya Kemp added 44 as the hosts recovered to post their total. Australia's bowlers, however, restricted England's scoring through the middle overs and took wickets at regular intervals before their batters accelerated the chase.
Mooney was named Player of the Tournament, while Australia's Sophie Molineux was selected as captain of the ICC's Team of the Tournament after leading the side to the title in her first major tournament as skipper. Four Australians were included in the team, according to the International Cricket Council.
The final concluded the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup, with Australia extending their dominance in the format and England finishing runners-up on home soil. The tournament's next confirmed major milestone for women's cricket will be the inaugural women's Test match at Lord's, where England are scheduled to face India later in July.
