The third and final stage of the 2026 women’s T20 World Cup generated some compelling cricket, not all of it flawless. One of the most noteworthy outcomes was Ireland’s first ever T20 World Cup victory. The team had almost achieved that historic landmark against New Zealand on June 19, failing to score 34 runs from the last 24 deliveries and 15 from the final over. They lost by four runs. Afterwards, the Irish players and coach talked about the need to play the top teams more often in order to gain experience in critical moments.