Sri Lanka was the original host. The ICC removed those rights in August 2026 amid unresolved governance issues and government interference in Sri Lanka Cricket, which is being run by an interim committee while it carries out reforms set out at the ICC's Annual Conference in July. Government interference in a member board is one of the few grounds on which the ICC acts directly against a full member, because its constitution requires member boards to be independently run. The ICC then assessed three replacement candidates - Bangladesh, India and South Africa - against its host evaluation criteria before recommending India, a decision the ICC Board ratified on 2 September 2026. Sri Lanka still plays in the tournament; only the hosting was withdrawn.

The Champions Trophy format - few teams, every side playing every other, a short window - was built for the men's game as a compact alternative to a World Cup, and its extension to women's cricket adds a second global title to a calendar that until recently had only two. For India, hosting it four months into 2027 continues a run of ICC events staged in the country and gives the women's game prime domestic exposure. The reason the tournament moved is worth remembering separately from the cricket: it is a live example of a sports governing body enforcing the autonomy of national federations against government control, an issue Indian sports administration has faced in its own disputes.