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Who: India vs South Africa
What: ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final
When: Sunday, November 2 at 09:30 GMT
Where: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India
After a month of action and 30 fierce contests, it all boils down to the biggest one of all: the Women’s World Cup final.
Tournament hosts India take on first-time finalists South Africa in a blockbuster clash, with a new world champion set to be crowned.
A sensational five-wicket victory over defending champions Australia guided India to the final, while South Africa overpowered England to reach the summit clash.
Here’s what you need to know about the final:
Where is the Women’s World Cup final?
Sunday’s final will be played at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, a 45,300-capacity venue. The multi-purpose sports arena, mainly used for cricket, hosted three league games and a semifinal during this year’s Women’s World Cup.
India have an unbeaten record on this ground at this tournament, having registered victories over New Zealand in the league stage and Australia in the semifinals, alongside a washed-out no result with Bangladesh. South Africa have never played at the venue.
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium were the two options for Sunday’s final – the latter, considered a neutral venue, would have hosted the game had Pakistan qualified.
As per an ICC-brokered agreement between India and Pakistan, both countries have the option to play their games at a neutral venue for a tournament hosted by either South Asian nation.
The nuclear-armed neighbours, who shared an intense four-day military and aerial conflict in May, have not visited each other for a bilateral cricket competition in 13 years.
A new record crowd of 25,166 turned up in Navi Mumbai – the highest-ever attendance for a group-stage fixture at any ICC Women’s event 🏟️
It surpassed the previous mark of 22,843 set during the India–Sri Lanka #CWC25 opener in Guwahati 👏 pic.twitter.com/AHdOHV6COC
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 23, 2025
What is the weather forecast?
Rain played spoilsport in one of the league matches in Navi Mumbai, and it could cause some problems during Sunday’s final.
The forecast predicts sunny spells through the afternoon with a passing shower or two, and the possibility of a late-night downpour.
What happened in the last India vs South Africa match?
The teams last met on October 9, during a league game of the tournament, where South Africa beat India by three wickets in Visakhapatnam. All-rounder Nadine de Klerk was named the player of the match for her unbeaten 84-run display and 2-52 bowling figures.
How many times have India and South Africa won the Women’s World Cup?
Neither team has lifted the trophy, though India came close twice, reaching the final in 2005 and 2017, losing to Australia and England, respectively.
Sunday’s final will be South Africa’s first in the competition.
When was the last time India beat South Africa?
India last defeated South Africa in a Women’s ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka in May, beating them by 23 runs in Colombo. Jemimah Rodrigues was the player of the match following her excellent 123-run knock.
India vs South Africa: Head-to-head in ODIs
The countries have played each other in 34 Women’s ODIs, with India winning 20 times, including the last series they met in.
Sunday’s final will be the first time India and South Africa face off in Navi Mumbai.
Player to watch: India
Jemimah Rodrigues: The Indian middle-order batter showed nerves of steel to drive India to an unexpected semifinal win over giants Australia, thanks to her unbeaten 127 off 134 balls. The 25-year-old initially struggled for consistency and was dropped once in the league phase, but bounced back with determination when her country needed her the most.
With a ton and a half-century each to her name during her 268-run display so far, Rodrigues stands ninth in the top-batting charts.
The Mumbai-born batter, who revealed she faced anxiety in the weeks leading up to the semifinal, also scored an unbeaten 76 against New Zealand before Thursday’s semifinal.
Jemimah Rodrigues’ match-winning knock of 127 not out saw India chase down a record total in Women’s ODI history [Rajanish Kakade/AP]Player to watch: South Africa
Laura Wolvaardt: The tournament’s leading scorer with 470 runs in eight innings, captain Wolvaardt has been South Africa’s most reliable batter. After recovering from a slow start, the opener found her rhythm and consistency, hitting three half-centuries during the league stage.
Wolvaardt, though, saved her best for the crucial moment, smashing a whopping 169 runs in Wednesday’s semifinal victory over England – the third highest in the knockouts of the Women’s World Cup and the highest by a captain.
Her batting masterclass carried the South Africans to 319-7, the third-highest score in World Cup knockout matches.
‘Will To Win’: South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt’s terrific 169-run display in the semifinals was the highest individual score for South Africa in the Women’s World Cup [Anupam Nath/AP]Form guide: India
After losing in two finals, India will be hoping the third time is the charm.
India punched their ticket to the knockouts by finishing fourth in the league phase, losing three games, including one against finalists South Africa.
Against all odds, India stunned record seven-time winners Australia in the semifinals, pulling off a record chase of 339 runs in women’s ODIs.
Rodrigues was the architect of India’s well-fought five-wicket victory with her maiden World Cup ton, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur also shone with the bat with 89 runs.
Opener Smriti Mandhana has been India’s top and overall second-highest scorer in the tournament with 389 runs, while Pritika Rawal (308 runs) was also impactful before an ankle injury cut short her campaign before the semifinals.
Deepti Sharma, the joint top wicket-taker with 17 wickets, and left-armer Shree Charani (13 wickets) have been India’s best performers in the bowling unit.
Form guide: South Africa
Sunday’s clash will be South Africa’s first World Cup final following semifinal defeats in 2017 and 2022.
At this year’s tournament, they lost two of their seven league games – to Australia and England – to finish third in the league phase before thrashing England by a massive 125-run margin in the first semifinal in Guwahati.
Captain Wolvaardt has been in impressive form as the tournament’s leading run scorer, while Marizanne Kapp is joint-sixth on the bowling charts with 12 wickets, including a career-best 5-20 in the semifinals. Kapp shares the sixth place with her teammate Nonkululeko Mlaba.
After the semifinal, Kapp also overtook India’s Jhulan Goswami as the all-time highest wicket-taker in the Women’s World Cup with 44 wickets.
Sunday’s final will be the second time India face South Africa in the tournament. South Africa beat India by three wickets in a league game in Visakhapatnam on October 9 [Aijaz Rahi/AP]India’s last five results (most recent first):
W-W-L-L-L
South Africa’s last five results (most recent first):
W-L-W-W-W
Team news: India
India could bring back bowling all-rounder Sneh Rana in place of bowler Radha Yadav.
Predicted India line-up: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh
Team news: South Africa
South Africa could stick with their semifinal lineup, opting for an extra batter in Anneke Bosch on the batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai.
Predicted South Africa lineup: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wicketkeeper), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
How can I follow and stream the India vs South Africa Women’s World Cup final?
Al Jazeera Sport will have a live build-up before a comprehensive photo and text commentary stream of the final from 07:30 GMT.
The match will be broadcast live on terrestrial and satellite channels, as well as livestreaming platforms, worldwide.
Fans in India can watch the final on the Star Sports network, while SuperSport will broadcast it in South Africa.
How can I buy tickets for the Women’s World Cup final?
Tickets for the final in Navi Mumbai can be purchased through the tournament’s official website, which redirects to its ticketing partner, BookMyShow.
Tickets start at 150 Indian rupees, which is less than $2.
However, prices in the resale market are exorbitant, with the most expensive ticket selling for more than $1,350 on Viagogo, a multinational ticket exchange and ticket resale brand.
