Women's Continental Cup 2022/23

The Women's Continental Cup is a regional cricket tournament organized by the European Cricket Network (ECN), a commercial entity, in partnership with host national federations. It is not governed directly by the ICC or the European Cricket Association as a regulatory body but is categorized under ICC Europe Region events. The tournament serves as a developmental platform for European women's national teams, particularly Associate members and emerging nations, providing matches designated as T20 Internationals (T20Is). It is distinct from the Women's European Cricket Championship (ECC-W), which is an older ODI competition organized by the European Cricket Council (ECC) and is now largely defunct. The Continental Cup focuses on the T20 format and features a wider range of emerging teams such as Romania, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Norway, Greece, Malta, and the Isle of Man, whereas the ECC-W traditionally featured established nations like England, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The tournament was founded in 2022, with the inaugural edition being a bilateral series between Malta Women and Romania Women hosted by Cricket Romania in August 2022. Malta won this inaugural series 3-0. The format varies by edition: the 2022 edition was a bilateral series; the 2023 edition featured four teams (Romania, Malta, Greece, Isle of Man) in a round-robin group stage followed by knockout finals, with Isle of Man winning the tournament; the 2025 edition featured five teams (Romania, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Norway) in a round-robin format, with Norway winning. There is no promotion or relegation system; participation is by invitation or regional selection. The tournament is typically held over 3-4 days at a single venue, such as the Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground in Bucharest, Romania. England XI does not participate in the Continental Cup, competing instead in the higher-tier ECC-W and ICC qualifiers. The most recent confirmed winner is Norway (2025), following Isle of Man (2023) and Malta (2022). Romania won the 2021 edition (pre-dating the formal 2022 launch but often grouped in early records) and Austria won in 2019. The competition is active and serves as a key step for teams seeking to improve their ICC rankings and gain T20I status.