Full source code available on GitHub — model training, feature engineering & prediction scripts

View on GitHub
Machine Learning Predictions

ICC Women's
T20 World Cup
2026

LightGBM model trained on 690 matches across 104 venues. 63 features. 93.5% validation accuracy on past World Cups.

93.5%
Validation Accuracy
690
Training Matches
63
Features
33
Matches Predicted
The Model
How predictions
are made

A LightGBM classifier trained on 690 international T20 matches, using a layered feature group approach to prevent overfitting.

01

Data Collection

690 international women's T20 matches across 104 venues. Match outcomes, toss results, and venue statistics all captured.

02

Feature Engineering

63 features across 4 kept groups: team strength, venue fit, phase-by-phase batting/bowling, and matchup/toss. A 5th group (G4: fielding, captaincy, pressure) was tested and dropped — it increased log-loss and was excluded.

ELO ratings H2H records Venue DNA Phase splits Spin/pace fit
03

Group Layering

Feature groups added one at a time. A group is only kept if it reduces log-loss on the validation set — no data leakage.

04

Validation

Held out the entire 2022 WC (South Africa) and 2024 WC (Bangladesh) as test sets — never seen during training or tuning.

2022: 91.3% 2024: 95.7%
05

LightGBM

Gradient boosted trees with early stopping, L1+L2 regularisation, and shallow depth (15 leaves) to prevent overfitting on 644 rows.

06

Prediction

For each 2026 match, features are computed using real venue data. The model outputs win probability for both teams.

What drives predictions

Top 20 features by LightGBM split importance. Head-to-head record and venue chase win rate are the strongest signals.

Validation Results
43 of 46
correct

The model was tested on two complete past World Cups it had never seen during training. Each dot below represents one match.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup
2022 — South Africa
91.3%
Accuracy
21/23
Correct
2
Wrong
0.376
Log-Loss

Missed: Sri Lanka beat South Africa (opener upset); South Africa beat England (semi)

ICC Women's T20 World Cup
2024 — Bangladesh
95.7%
Accuracy
22/23
Correct
1
Wrong
0.214
Log-Loss

Only miss: South Africa beat Australia in group stage (52% Australia predicted)

Group Stage
Predicted
standings

Australia and England predicted to top their groups and advance to the semi-finals.

Group A

Edgbaston · Old Trafford · Headingley · Rose Bowl · Bristol · Lord's

#TeamPts
Group B

Edgbaston · Rose Bowl · Headingley · Bristol · Old Trafford · The Oval · Lord's

#TeamPts
Group Stage — All 30 Matches
Group stage
predictions

30 group stage matches shown here. 3 knockout matches (SF1, SF2, Final) are shown in the Bracket section — 33 total predicted.

Win probabilities for every group stage match. Filter by group or confidence level.

Confidence bands: HIGH = win prob ≥75% · MED = 60–75% · LOW = <60% (close call)

Knockout Stage
Predicted
bracket

Australia predicted champions at Lord's on July 5.

Semi-Final 1 · Jun 30 · The Oval

Grp A Winner vs Grp B Runner-up
Australia 67.8%
New Zealand 32.2%

Semi-Final 2 · Jul 2 · The Oval

Grp B Winner vs Grp A Runner-up
England 87.5%
South Africa 12.5%

Final · Jul 5 · Lord's

The Final
Australia 79.4%
England 20.6%
Predicted Champion
Australia
Lord's · Jul 5, 2026
79.4% win prob
Team Ratings
ELO rankings

ELO ratings computed from all historical results, weighted by recency and opposition strength. Australia lead by a significant margin. Note: Ireland rank 3rd in ELO (1240) due to strong bilateral series results, but are predicted to finish bottom of Group B — ELO alone doesn't account for venue familiarity or bowling matchup deficits against top-6 opposition at English conditions.

Batting & bowling breakdown

Select a team to see their phase-by-phase strengths. Scores normalised 0–1.

Head to Head
Historical
win rates

All-time head-to-head win rates in international T20 cricket. Green = strong record, red = weak. Hover a cell to see details.