The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 final is set to be a historic showdown between hosts India and South Africa, to be played on November 2 in Navi Mumbai.
It marks South Africa's first-ever appearance in a Women's World Cup final, while India aims to win the title for the first time after finishing as runners-up in 2005 and 2017.
India secured their spot in the final with a stunning semi-final victory against defending champions Australia, successfully chasing a massive target of 339 runs, the highest successful chase in women's ODI World Cup history. Jemimah Rodrigues starred with an unbeaten 127, supported by captain Harmanpreet Kaur's aggressive 89, guiding India to a dramatic 5-wicket win with nine balls to spare in front of a passionate home
crowd.
South Africa earned their place by defeating England comprehensively in the other semi-final. Batting first at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, South Africa posted an imposing 319/7, anchored by Laura Wolvaardt's brilliant 169. In response, England struggled and were bowled out for 194, with Marizanne Kapp's 5-wicket haul dismantling the English batting lineup.
Starting in 1973, the annals of Women's World Cup has witnessed various teams representing itself in the tournament. Even held before the first men's World Cup, the women's tournament took flight on English soil. Over the years, many teams have played in the competition, with Bangladesh being the latest inductee in 2022.
But in the initial years, there were a number of unique nations and teams which participated in the Women's World Cup. In this article, we shall take a look at five unique teams that played in it-
Young England
In the 1973 edition, Young England was one of the seven teams that played in it. The team was mostly comprised of under-23 players and the likes of Geraldine Davies, Rosalind Heggs played in it. The English side lost all of its matches except one and the 1973 edition was their solitary appearance.
International XI
Similarly, the inaugural 1973 World Cup saw the unpicked players of the participating nations forming a team of mixed nationalities. Interestingly, they won three matches out of six and finished 4th in the World Cup. The team had New Zealand, Australia cricketers in it.
Jamaica
Jamaica played as a nation in the 1973 edition and Vivalyn Latty-Scott, Yolande Geddes-Hall took part in it, who later went on to play for West Indies. In their solitary appearance, Jamaica won only one match in the competition and finished 6th out of seven teams.
Trinidad & Tobago
Similarly, Trinidad & Tobago also represented as a nation in the 1973 edition. They had the stars, such as Louise Browne who later played for the unified West Indies. Trinidad won two matches in that edition and finished 5th in the table, as Browne also scored an unbeaten half-century in their win over Jamaica.
Denmark
Denmark played in two editions of the Women's World Cup, debuting in 1993. They were eliminated in the first round on both occasions.
