Karachi, Pakistan – 25 September 2025: Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, received at its Dubai headquarters the all-female Emirates ICC panel of match officials, ahead of their journey to India and Sri Lanka to mark the start of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. The panel of 14 umpires and four match referees, representing 10 nationalities, paid homage to Emirates, the Global partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, now in its 13th edition and taking place from 30 September till 2 November, will be hosted in India. Marking a notable moment in history, this is the first time a Women’s 50-over World Cup will be officiated entirely by an all-women team of match officials.
Welcoming the ICC match officials at Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai, Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Executive Vice President for Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand said: “As the Official Airline Partner of the ICC, Emirates is proud to support the first all-women team of match officials who will preside over the matches in this important tournament. We are especially delighted to be associated with this event as it aligns with our shared values on many levels. Not only is it a great platform to engage with fans through the passion for sports, but the sports event also stands as an ode to gender equity, celebrating inclusivity and equal opportunity on and off the field.”
In line with the theme of supporting women in sports, Emirates also supports the ICC 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme which aims to provide more world-class development opportunities to aspiring female leaders in the sport. As the Official Airline partner of the ICC, Emirates provides exclusive fares and discounts to participants in the programme, enabling connections to unique learning opportunities outside of their home countries, in addition to linking them to mentors to help build the next generation of female leaders within cricket.
Already in its third decade, Emirates’ partnership with the ICC is one of the most established in world sport. The ICC partnership sees Emirates featured on the official kit of the ICC Elite and International Panels of Umpires. Alongside the Umpires, Emirates sponsors the Elite and International Panels of ICC Match Referees.
Together with branding and media exposure to cricket fans around the world, Emirates also transports umpires and referees to international events as the Global Partner of the ICC. Emirates’ branding is also highly visible at all major events including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Test Championship Final.
