Vitality Blast Women 2026

The Vitality Blast Women is two seasons old and already feels like a fixture of the English summer.

The 2026 edition — running from 22 May to 17 July — is the biggest the competition has staged, with nine Tier 1 teams, an expanded Finals Day format, and more double-headers than ever before.

Whether you are planning your first matchday trip or tracking every fixture from home, here is the complete breakdown.

Vitality Blast Women 2026 Full Schedule

The group stage spans 54 Tier 1 fixtures across seven weeks, with Finals Day hosted at The Kia Oval on Friday 17 July.

Below is the complete match schedule, including dates, teams, venues, and local kick-off times.

#	Date	Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Time
1	Fri, 22 May	Essex Women	Warwickshire Women	Chelmsford	2:00 PM
2	Fri, 22 May	Surrey Women	Lancashire Women	The Oval, London	2:15 PM
3	Fri, 22 May	Somerset Women	Hampshire Women	Taunton	2:30 PM
4	Fri, 22 May	The Blaze Women	Yorkshire Women	Nottingham	2:30 PM
5	Sun, 24 May	Durham Women	Hampshire Women	Chester-le-Street	11:30 AM
6	Sun, 24 May	Warwickshire Women	Somerset Women	Birmingham	11:30 AM
7	Sun, 24 May	Yorkshire Women	Surrey Women	Leeds	11:30 AM
8	Mon, 25 May	Lancashire Women	The Blaze Women	Manchester	10:30 AM
9	Tue, 26 May	Hampshire Women	Essex Women	Southampton	3:00 PM
10	Wed, 27 May	Warwickshire Women	The Blaze Women	Birmingham	2:30 PM
11	Wed, 27 May	Surrey Women	Durham Women	The Oval, London	6:30 PM
12	Wed, 27 May	Somerset Women	Yorkshire Women	Taunton	2:30 PM
13	Fri, 29 May	Durham Women	Warwickshire Women	Chester-le-Street	2:30 PM
14	Fri, 29 May	Lancashire Women	Somerset Women	Manchester	2:30 PM
15	Fri, 29 May	Yorkshire Women	Essex Women	Leeds	6:30 PM
16	Fri, 29 May	Hampshire Women	Surrey Women	Southampton	3:00 PM
17	Sun, 31 May	Essex Women	Lancashire Women	Chelmsford	11:30 AM
18	Sun, 31 May	Surrey Women	Somerset Women	The Oval, London	10:00 AM
19	Sun, 31 May	The Blaze Women	Durham Women	Nottingham	12:15 PM
20	Fri, 5 Jun	Yorkshire Women	Durham Women	Leeds	3:00 PM
21	Fri, 5 Jun	Surrey Women	Essex Women	The Oval, London	2:15 PM
22	Fri, 5 Jun	The Blaze Women	Warwickshire Women	Nottingham	2:30 PM
23	Sun, 7 Jun	Essex Women	Hampshire Women	Chelmsford	2:00 PM
24	Sun, 7 Jun	Somerset Women	Warwickshire Women	Taunton	11:30 AM
25	Sun, 7 Jun	The Blaze Women	Lancashire Women	Nottingham	11:00 AM
26	Tue, 9 Jun	Durham Women	Yorkshire Women	Chester-le-Street	2:00 PM
27	Tue, 9 Jun	Lancashire Women	Hampshire Women	Blackpool	3:30 PM
28	Fri, 26 Jun	Warwickshire Women	Surrey Women	Birmingham	3:00 PM
29	Fri, 26 Jun	Somerset Women	Durham Women	Taunton	2:30 PM
30	Fri, 26 Jun	Hampshire Women	Yorkshire Women	Southampton	3:00 PM
31	Sun, 28 Jun	Essex Women	The Blaze Women	Chelmsford	2:00 PM
32	Sun, 28 Jun	Lancashire Women	Warwickshire Women	Blackpool	2:30 PM
33	Sun, 28 Jun	Somerset Women	Surrey Women	Taunton	2:30 PM
34	Sun, 28 Jun	Hampshire Women	Durham Women	Southampton	2:30 PM
35	Wed, 1 Jul	Warwickshire Women	Essex Women	Birmingham	3:00 PM
36	Wed, 1 Jul	Yorkshire Women	Lancashire Women	Leeds	2:30 PM
37	Fri, 3 Jul	Durham Women	Lancashire Women	Chester-le-Street	6:30 PM
38	Fri, 3 Jul	Yorkshire Women	Somerset Women	Leeds	2:30 PM
39	Fri, 3 Jul	The Blaze Women	Surrey Women	Nottingham	2:30 PM
40	Sun, 5 Jul	Essex Women	Surrey Women	Chelmsford	11:30 AM
41	Sun, 5 Jul	Durham Women	The Blaze Women	Chester-le-Street	11:30 AM
42	Sun, 5 Jul	Warwickshire Women	Yorkshire Women	Birmingham	11:30 AM
43	Sun, 5 Jul	Hampshire Women	Lancashire Women	Southampton	11:30 AM
44	Tue, 7 Jul	Essex Women	Somerset Women	Chelmsford	6:00 PM
45	Wed, 8 Jul	Surrey Women	Warwickshire Women	The Oval, London	2:15 PM
46	Wed, 8 Jul	Hampshire Women	The Blaze Women	Southampton	3:00 PM
47	Fri, 10 Jul	Durham Women	Essex Women	Chester-le-Street	2:30 PM
48	Fri, 10 Jul	Warwickshire Women	Hampshire Women	Birmingham	3:00 PM
49	Fri, 10 Jul	Lancashire Women	Yorkshire Women	Manchester	3:00 PM
50	Fri, 10 Jul	The Blaze Women	Somerset Women	Nottingham	2:30 PM
51	Sun, 12 Jul	Lancashire Women	Durham Women	Manchester	12:00 PM
52	Sun, 12 Jul	Yorkshire Women	The Blaze Women	Leeds	12:00 PM
53	Sun, 12 Jul	Surrey Women	Hampshire Women	The Oval, London	12:00 PM
54	Sun, 12 Jul	Somerset Women	Essex Women	Taunton	12:00 PM
SF 1	Fri, 17 Jul	TBA	TBA	The Oval, London	11:00 AM
SF 2	Fri, 17 Jul	TBA	TBA	The Oval, London	2:30 PM
Final	Fri, 17 Jul	TBA	TBA	The Oval, London	6:45 PM

Finals Day on 17 July features two semi-finals followed by the final — an expansion from the three-team format used in the inaugural 2025 season. All three matches take place at The Kia Oval, giving the day a genuine showpiece feel.

Vitality Blast Women 2026 Teams and Squads

The tournament is split into two tiers. Tier 1 (League One) features nine counties competing for the title, while Tier 2 (League Two) runs as a parallel competition with its own Finals Day on 12 July at Sophia Gardens.

Tier 1 Teams — League One

Yorkshire Women are the headline addition for 2026, promoted after a strong Tier 2 showing. Their inclusion brings the top flight to nine teams and adds a historic first Women’s Roses T20 against Lancashire Thunder to the fixture calendar.

Team	Home Ground	City
Durham Women	Riverside Ground	Chester-le-Street
Essex Women	County Ground	Chelmsford
Hampshire Hawks Women	Hampshire Bowl	Southampton
Lancashire Thunder	Old Trafford / Stanley Park	Manchester / Blackpool
Somerset Women	Cooper Associates County Ground	Taunton
Surrey Women (Defending Champions)	The Kia Oval	London
The Blaze Women	Trent Bridge	Nottingham
Warwickshire Bears Women	Edgbaston	Birmingham
Yorkshire Women (Newly Promoted)	Headingley / Clifton Park	Leeds / York

Tier 2 Teams — League Two

Nine counties compete in League Two, with the top three qualifying for a Finals Day eliminator and final at Sophia Gardens on 12 July.

Derbyshire Falcons Women
Glamorgan Women
Gloucestershire Women
Kent Women
Leicestershire Foxes Women
Middlesex Women (defending League 2 champions)
Northamptonshire Steelbacks Women
Sussex Sharks Women
Worcestershire Rapids Women

Full squad lists — including overseas signings — are published by individual counties closer to the season start. Check official county websites and the ECB portal for confirmed rosters as the tournament approaches.

Vitality Blast Women 2026 Tournament Format

The ECB made several structural changes for 2026 following a review focused on player welfare and the matchday experience.

Tier 1: Each of the nine teams plays 12 group matches — six home, six away. Four opponents are played twice; four once. The top 4 teams advance to Finals Day.
Tier 2: Each team plays 8 group matches. The top 3 qualify for Tier 2 Finals Day (eliminator + final) at Sophia Gardens on 12 July.
Double-headers: Around 41 of the 54 Tier 1 matches are paired with men’s Vitality Blast fixtures. One ticket covers both games, making it a strong value for fans planning a day out.

Vitality Blast Women 2026 Venues

Matches are spread across eleven grounds, ranging from Test venues to historic county outgrounds.

The Kia Oval anchors the competition as Finals Day host, while Clifton Park in York hosts the landmark Women’s Roses fixture — one of the standout occasions in this season’s calendar.

Venue	City	Capacity (approx.)
The Kia Oval (Finals Day)	London	25,000
Edgbaston	Birmingham	25,000
Old Trafford	Manchester	26,000
Headingley	Leeds	18,350
Trent Bridge	Nottingham	17,500
Hampshire Bowl	Southampton	25,000
Riverside Ground	Chester-le-Street	15,000
Cooper Associates County Ground	Taunton	8,000
County Ground	Chelmsford	6,500
Stanley Park	Blackpool	4,000
Clifton Park Ground	York	3,000

Vitality Blast Women 2026 Tickets

Tickets are sold through individual county cricket clubs. A few things worth knowing before you book:

Double-header days: one ticket covers both the women’s and men’s Vitality Blast match — strong value for a full afternoon and evening of T20 cricket.
Group discounts: many countries offer reductions of 10–30% for bookings of six or more tickets.
Under-16 entry: children can attend selected matches from as little as £1.
Finals Day at The Kia Oval: tickets sell quickly. The ECB website runs a ballot process for high-demand fixtures — register early.
Season passes: county memberships and season tickets give priority access and often include all home matches.

Vitality Blast Women 2026 Live Streaming

You do not need a TV subscription to follow every match. Several free and paid options are available.

Sky Sports Cricket — the main broadcast partner for the UK, with selected live matches.
ECB Website & England Cricket YouTube — free live streams of selected fixtures throughout the tournament.
County club websites — individual counties may stream their own home matches.
BBC Sport — live scores, updates, and highlights across the competition.
International viewers — check the ECB website for regional streaming availability outside England.

What to Watch For in 2026

Surrey Women arrive as defending champions after their dramatic final-ball victory on the inaugural Finals Day in 2025.

Yorkshire Women make their Tier 1 debut and face Lancashire Thunder in what promises to be a fiercely contested Women’s Roses T20 — a genuinely new fixture for the calendar.

The expanded Finals Day means four teams now compete for the title, rather than three, which raises the stakes across the final weeks of the group stage. It is shaping up to be the strongest season the competition has produced.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Vitality Blast Women 2026 start and finish?

The competition runs from Friday 22 May to Friday 17 July 2026. Group-stage matches take place across seven weeks, with Finals Day at The Kia Oval on 17 July.

How many teams are in the Vitality Blast Women 2026?

Eighteen teams in total — nine in Tier 1 (League One) and nine in Tier 2 (League Two). Yorkshire Women join Tier 1 for the first time in 2026.

Where is Finals Day being held?

Finals Day is hosted at The Kia Oval in London on 17 July, featuring two semi-finals and a final. The venue drew record women’s county T20 crowds in 2025.

Can I watch Vitality Blast Women 2026 for free?

Yes — the ECB website and England Cricket YouTube channel stream selected matches for free. Sky Sports Cricket holds the main broadcast rights for live coverage in the UK.