With England hosting the event between June 26 and July 23, the venue - known as the home of cricket - was the obvious choice for the showpiece match.

Fixtures have also been awarded to the counties of Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and Somerset, with the competition to be held using a single league format.

The top four sides will then qualify for the semi-finals.

England last hosted the tournament in 1993, when they beat New Zealand in the final, also at Lord’s.

Steve Elworthy, Director of Events for the English Cricket Board (ECB), said: “This is a very exciting time for the women’s game in this country and staging a Women’s World Cup here will really help drive interest and participation in women’s cricket at every level.

"It’s critical we use this event to reach out to young children in particular so we’ve moved the tournament start date to earlier in the summer - a decision which will help our host venues encourage attendance by engaging with schools in the build-up to the event.”

England also hosted the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1973.

Australia won the last edition held in India in 2013, their sixth success overall.