As we get ready to welcome 2025, the calendar is already set to host multiple high-profile women’s sports and tournaments scheduled across several disciplines. From Cricket to Rugby and Football, different disciplines are all set to host their major tournaments. As the year 2025 is set to be a monumental one for women in sports, let us discuss four key events for women in sports in 2025 and explore their significance on the world stage.
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (May 2025, India)
The International Cricket Council is all set to host the 13th edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup in India. The tournament will take place in May, and this will be the fourth edition in the country. Australia are the defending champions as they won their 7th title in 2022 in New Zealand against England. The Aussie women defeated the English women by 71 runs at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch to claim the elusive title for the 7th time. The ICC is yet to decide the venues and schedule for the 2025 Women’s World Cup as it is too early.
Switzerland will be hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro Cup in 2025 for the first time in history.- This would be the 14th edition of the tournament. The tournament comprising 16 teams, will be hosted across 8 cities in Switzerland, namely- Basel, Bern, Thun, Sion, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, and Lucerne. The English team is the favorite to lift the cup yet again, having won the previous edition in 2022.
Women’s Rugby World Cup (September 2025, England)
The Women’s 2025 Rugby World Cup is one of the most awaited women’s sporting events of the year. The 10th edition is all set to be hosted in England from 22nd August to 27th September. The tournament will be played between 16 teams with New Zealand entering as the defending champions. They won the last edition at home in 2021 against England. The World Cup will be hosted across 8 cities including London, Exeter, Sunderland, Northampton, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Manchester, and York. The opening game will be played between the hosts England and the United States of America at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on August 22. The final will take place at the famous Twickenham Stadium in London on 27th September which capacitates 82,000 people.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Sadia Kabeya of England wins a lineout during the TikTok Women’s Six Nations match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on April 29, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Harding – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)
UEFA Women’s Nations League 2025 (Second Leg 22-28 October, 2025)
The UEFA Women’s Nations League 2025 will be running throughout the year and will comprise multiple high-stake matches. The league phase will be contested between February and June, whereas, the finals will take place between October and December. The results of this tournament will be essential in determining the league phase for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers slated to take place in Brazil. Check out some of the key dates of the tournament.
Key Dates:
Finals Draw: June 6, 2025
Semi-Finals: October 20–28, 2025 (two legs)
Third-Place Playoff: November 26–December 2, 2025 (two legs)
The glaring inequalities between women’s and men’s sports reflect the state of India’s sports landscape. For ages, men have been typically seen as torchbearers of sports, while women have been carrying an image of someone who should stay behind doors, and do household chores. Forget about financial disparity, the ratio of men playing sports to women is still heavily in favor of men.
But times are changing fast, India is on a global stage, developing fast, and Indian women athletes are scaling to great heights, with opportunities knocking at their door. Still, their journeys are replete with tales of challenges, not synonymous with men, they have to overcome. Here we highlight challenges and opportunities for Women in Indian Sports.
Challenges Faced by Women in Indian Sports
1. Expectations and Biasness: We don’t need movies to tell us the challenges women face in this country. Especially in sports, which is, to a great extent, seen as a male-only career. Girls are often not encouraged to participate in sports because the society emphasizes getting married and taking care of family rather than considering athletic goals. A lack of support from families, especially in rural areas, ends a promising career.
2. Unavailability of Essential Resources: The stark difference between men and female sports ecosystem in India is the lack of dedicated resources. There are not many training facilities in 2nd and lower tier cities in India that cater to women sports. The rural areas are the worst affected ones, where even simple amenities, such as proper grounds, equipment, and professional guidance, are lacking in abundance.
3. Financial Constraint: For most aspiring female athletes, money is the biggest issue. In a big family, when it comes to supporting the children in sport, boys, almost all the time, wins the battle at home. Then, there’s a matter of sponsorship in women’s sports. Women in Indian sports have to contend with a severe lack of sponsorship deals and endorsement compared to men’s sports.
4. Lack Of Media Coverage: How many times have we seen an Indian woman football player doing an advertisement on TV? Even women cricketers face a lot of discrimination compared to the male counterparts who are held as gods. This is down to media creating perceptions that it’s a male dominated society where role models can only be men. The less media provides exposure to a particular sport, the more stereotypes are encouraged, and ultimately, opportunities for sponsorships decline.
5. Safety Issues: The biggest deterrent for parents in India when it comes to supporting girls in sports is the safety issue. It’s a very sensitive topic, which can’t be ignored at all. Even in the big metro cities female players face a lot of security issues, especially when they have to travel and stay away from home while training. Harassment and abuse cases are often covered up, thus discouraging many parents from allowing their girls to pick sport as a career. There is also the lack of an effective system in solving such concerns.
Despite all the challenges and negative points we highlighted, the Indian sports landscape is transforming. Here is a list of positive aspects of the increasing opportunities for women in Indian sports.
1. Rising Role Models: In recent times, we have seen a whole lot of Indian women athletes, such as PV Sindhu, Mary Kom, Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, among others have changed the narrative around women sports in India. Their success at the international stage has proved that gender is no barrier to success. Their stories inspire numerous young girls and make them dream big and pursue sports as a viable career.
2. Government Initiatives: Indian government is also playing a big role in helping women sports. They have launched many initiatives in the country to support women’s sports. Programs like Khelo India and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao specifically aim to increase the participation of female players. Even in rural SAI centers, arrangements are being improved for women athletes to get quality facilities.
3. Media and Social Media Impact: The rise of social media platforms have also made it easier for female athletes to showcase their talents. It’s easy for female athletes now to get their voice heard and connect with audiences directly. Through social media, women athletes can build their personal brands and share their journeys, ultimately attracting sponsors.
4. Women’s Professional Leagues: The rise of Indian Premier League (IPL) changed the Indian sports landscape forever. The immense success of IPL showed that professional leagues is the way forward. After IPL, Indian Super Leagues (ISL) and Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) were also launched and both teams are hugely successful. Women’s professional leagues are also increasing in numbers. We have Women’s IPL, and Women’s Football League and there are news that Premier Badminton League is likely to be revived in the near future.
5. Education and Awareness: With the awareness of the benefits that come with playing sports – people are encouraging more female to participate and pick sports as a career. Educational institutions are also playing a huge role by offering scholarships and better facilities to female athletes.
The journey for women in Indian sports is one of resilience and determination, navigating challenges while seizing opportunities. With a growing number of role models earning big sponsorship deals, and new policies supporting women helping change social narrative around women in Indian sports, the future holds immense promise.
The biggest change that India need to see should come at the rural level. Parents should be educated that sports is another career opportunity like choosing an MBA degree. Also, there should be a more robust system when it comes to safety measures for women.
The rise of women in Indian sports is not just a win for gender equality—it’s a testament to the unyielding spirit of those who dare to dream beyond limitations.
