[7][8][9][10] In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that they were reviewing the scheduling of the tournament.

[23] In late November 2021, a new variant of the COVID-19 virus was discovered in southern Africa,[24] with Cricket Ireland issued a statement saying they were monitoring the situation.

[26] Their scheduled match against the West Indies, due to take place on 27 November 2021, was cancelled after seven members of the Sri Lankan team tested positive.

[27] Later the same day, the ICC announced that the qualifier tournament had been called off, due to concerns of the new COVID variant and travel restrictions.

[33] However, in November 2021, the ICC reversed this decision,[32] and determined that all fixtures in the Women's World Cup Qualifier featuring a team without ODI status would be recorded as a List A match.