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ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup schedule announced
16 teams to compete for the title in 41 matches across 23 days
The tournament will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia with the final taking place in Harare on 6 February
Tanzania will look to make their mark on tournament debut
Warm-up matches will take place from 9 to 14 January
The full schedule graphic is available for download via the ICC Online Media Zone
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today unveiled the match schedule for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15 January to 6 February 2026.
Sixteen teams will compete across 41 matches, culminating in the final at the Harare Sports Club on 6 February.
The opening day will see India take on the USA, Zimbabwe face Scotland, and Tanzania mark their historic tournament debut against the West Indies. The competition will be played across five venues: Harare Sports Club, Takashinga Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Zimbabwe, and the Namibia Cricket Ground and HP Oval in Namibia.
The tournament format features four groups of four, followed by a Super Six stage, leading into the semi-finals and the title clash in Harare.
Defending champions Australia begin their campaign against Ireland on day two in Windhoek, while traditional rivals India and Bangladesh meet in one of the marquee early fixtures on 17 January in Bulawayo.
Ten teams earned automatic qualification based on their performance in the 2024 edition, joining hosts Zimbabwe. The remaining five teams clinched their places through regional qualification events, reflecting the expanding global footprint of the U19 pathway.
ICC Chairman, Mr. Jay Shah said he was looking forward to the tournament, which will see the future stars of world cricket on display.
Mr. Shah said: "The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has long been the cradle of greatness, a tournament that reveals not just the next generation of cricketers, but the next generation of icons. From Brian Lara and Sanath Jayasuriya to Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Shubman Gill, the event has consistently shaped the future of our sport.
"As we look ahead to the 2026 edition in Zimbabwe and Namibia, we are excited to provide young cricketers with a world-class platform that mirrors the standards and pressures of senior international cricket. This tournament is where dreams are ignited, rivalries are born, and the global cricketing landscape begins to take its next form.
"We are especially pleased to welcome Tanzania as they make their debut and join a truly global field of teams. I extend my warmest wishes to all participating squads as they embark on this remarkable journey, representing their countries with pride and promise."
The full schedule of matches graphic for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup can be downloaded from the ICC’s Online Media Zone.
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 warm-up match schedule
*All matches will start at 09h30 local time
Friday, 9 January
India vs Scotland Prince Edward School (Harare)
England vs USA Old Hararians (Harare)
Saturday, 10 January
Bangladesh vs Pakistan Masvingo Sports Club (Zimbabwe)
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand Bulawayo Athletics Club (Bulawayo)
Ireland vs West Indies Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
Japan vs Tanzania United Ground (Windhoek)
Sunday, 11 January
Australia vs Afghanistan Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
South Africa vs Sri Lanka United Ground (Windhoek)
Monday, 12 January
Scotland vs Bangladesh Masvingo Sports Club (Zimbabwe)
India vs England Bulawayo Athletics Club (Bulawayo)
Tuesday, 13 January
Pakistan vs New Zealand Bulawayo Athletics Club (Bulawayo)
Zimbabwe vs USA Prince Edward School (Harare)
Ireland vs Tanzania Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
Japan vs West Indies United Ground (Windhoek)
Wednesday, 14 January
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
Australia vs South Africa United Ground (Windhoek)
**
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 match schedule**
*All matches will start at 09h30 local time
**
Thursday, 15 January**
USA vs India Queens Sports Club
Zimbabwe vs Scotland Takashinga Sports Club
Tanzania vs West Indies HP Oval Namibia
Friday, 16 January
Pakistan vs England Takashinga Sports Club
Australia vs Ireland Namibia Cricket Ground
Afghanistan vs South Africa HP Oval Namibia
Saturday, 17 January
India vs Bangladesh Queens Sports Club
Japan vs Sri Lanka Namibia Cricket Ground
Sunday, 18 January
New Zealand vs USA Queens Sports Club
England vs Zimbabwe Takashinga Sports Club
West Indies vs Afghanistan HP Oval Namibia
Monday, 19 January
Pakistan vs Scotland Takashinga Sports Club
Sri Lanka vs Ireland Namibia Cricket Ground
South Africa vs Tanzania HP Oval Namibia
Tuesday, 20 January
Bangladesh vs New Zealand Queens Sports Club
Australia vs Japan Namibia Cricket Ground
Wednesday, 21 January
England vs Scotland Takashinga Sports Club
Afghanistan vs Tanzania HP Oval Namibia
Thursday, 22 January
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan Takashinga Sports Club
Ireland vs Japan Namibia Cricket Ground
West Indies vs South Africa HP Oval Namibia
Friday, 23 January
Bangladesh vs USA Takashinga Sports Club
Sri Lanka vs Australia Namibia Cricket Ground
Saturday, 24 January
India vs New Zealand Queens Sports Club
A4 vs D4 HP Oval Namibia
Sunday, 25 January
S6 AD A1 vs D3 Namibia Cricket Ground
S6 AD D2 vs A3 HP Oval Namibia
Monday, 26 January
B4 vs C4 Harare Sports Club
S6 BC C1 vs B2 Queens Sports Club
S6 AD D1 vs A2 Namibia Cricket Ground
Tuesday, 27 January
S6 BC C2 vs B3 Harare Sports Club
S6 BC C3 vs B1 Queens Sports Club
Wednesday, 28 January
S6 AD A1 vs D2 Harare Sports Club
Thursday, 29 January
S6 AD D3 vs A2 Queens Sports Club
Friday, 30 January
S6 AD D1 vs A3 Harare Sports Club
S6 BC B3 vs C1 Queens Sports Club
Saturday, 31 January
S6 BC B2 vs C3 Harare Sports Club
Sunday, 1 February
S6 BC B1 vs C2 Queens Sports Club
Monday, 2 February
No matches
Tuesday, 3 February
Semi-Final 1 AD1 vs BC2 Queens Sports Club
Wednesday, 4 February
Semi-Final 2 BC1 vs AD2 Harare Sports Club
Reserve Day (SF1) Queens Sports Club
Thursday, 5 February
Reserve Day (SF 2) Harare Sports Club
Friday, 6 February
Final Harare Sports Club
Saturday, 7 February
Reserve Day (Final) Harare Sports Club
16 teams to compete for the title in 41 matches across 23 days
The tournament will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia with the final taking place in Harare on 6 February
Tanzania will look to make their mark on tournament debut
Warm-up matches will take place from 9 to 14 January
The full schedule graphic is available for download via the ICC Online Media Zone
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today unveiled the match schedule for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15 January to 6 February 2026.
Sixteen teams will compete across 41 matches, culminating in the final at the Harare Sports Club on 6 February.
The opening day will see India take on the USA, Zimbabwe face Scotland, and Tanzania mark their historic tournament debut against the West Indies. The competition will be played across five venues: Harare Sports Club, Takashinga Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Zimbabwe, and the Namibia Cricket Ground and HP Oval in Namibia.
The tournament format features four groups of four, followed by a Super Six stage, leading into the semi-finals and the title clash in Harare.
Defending champions Australia begin their campaign against Ireland on day two in Windhoek, while traditional rivals India and Bangladesh meet in one of the marquee early fixtures on 17 January in Bulawayo.
Ten teams earned automatic qualification based on their performance in the 2024 edition, joining hosts Zimbabwe. The remaining five teams clinched their places through regional qualification events, reflecting the expanding global footprint of the U19 pathway.
ICC Chairman, Mr. Jay Shah said he was looking forward to the tournament, which will see the future stars of world cricket on display.
Mr. Shah said: "The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has long been the cradle of greatness, a tournament that reveals not just the next generation of cricketers, but the next generation of icons. From Brian Lara and Sanath Jayasuriya to Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Shubman Gill, the event has consistently shaped the future of our sport.
"As we look ahead to the 2026 edition in Zimbabwe and Namibia, we are excited to provide young cricketers with a world-class platform that mirrors the standards and pressures of senior international cricket. This tournament is where dreams are ignited, rivalries are born, and the global cricketing landscape begins to take its next form.
"We are especially pleased to welcome Tanzania as they make their debut and join a truly global field of teams. I extend my warmest wishes to all participating squads as they embark on this remarkable journey, representing their countries with pride and promise."
The full schedule of matches graphic for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup can be downloaded from the ICC’s Online Media Zone.
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 warm-up match schedule
*All matches will start at 09h30 local time
Friday, 9 January
India vs Scotland Prince Edward School (Harare)
England vs USA Old Hararians (Harare)
Saturday, 10 January
Bangladesh vs Pakistan Masvingo Sports Club (Zimbabwe)
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand Bulawayo Athletics Club (Bulawayo)
Ireland vs West Indies Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
Japan vs Tanzania United Ground (Windhoek)
Sunday, 11 January
Australia vs Afghanistan Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
South Africa vs Sri Lanka United Ground (Windhoek)
Monday, 12 January
Scotland vs Bangladesh Masvingo Sports Club (Zimbabwe)
India vs England Bulawayo Athletics Club (Bulawayo)
Tuesday, 13 January
Pakistan vs New Zealand Bulawayo Athletics Club (Bulawayo)
Zimbabwe vs USA Prince Edward School (Harare)
Ireland vs Tanzania Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
Japan vs West Indies United Ground (Windhoek)
Wednesday, 14 January
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Wanderers Cricket Ground (Windhoek)
Australia vs South Africa United Ground (Windhoek)
**
ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 match schedule**
*All matches will start at 09h30 local time
**
Thursday, 15 January**
USA vs India Queens Sports Club
Zimbabwe vs Scotland Takashinga Sports Club
Tanzania vs West Indies HP Oval Namibia
Friday, 16 January
Pakistan vs England Takashinga Sports Club
Australia vs Ireland Namibia Cricket Ground
Afghanistan vs South Africa HP Oval Namibia
Saturday, 17 January
India vs Bangladesh Queens Sports Club
Japan vs Sri Lanka Namibia Cricket Ground
Sunday, 18 January
New Zealand vs USA Queens Sports Club
England vs Zimbabwe Takashinga Sports Club
West Indies vs Afghanistan HP Oval Namibia
Monday, 19 January
Pakistan vs Scotland Takashinga Sports Club
Sri Lanka vs Ireland Namibia Cricket Ground
South Africa vs Tanzania HP Oval Namibia
Tuesday, 20 January
Bangladesh vs New Zealand Queens Sports Club
Australia vs Japan Namibia Cricket Ground
Wednesday, 21 January
England vs Scotland Takashinga Sports Club
Afghanistan vs Tanzania HP Oval Namibia
Thursday, 22 January
Zimbabwe vs Pakistan Takashinga Sports Club
Ireland vs Japan Namibia Cricket Ground
West Indies vs South Africa HP Oval Namibia
Friday, 23 January
Bangladesh vs USA Takashinga Sports Club
Sri Lanka vs Australia Namibia Cricket Ground
Saturday, 24 January
India vs New Zealand Queens Sports Club
A4 vs D4 HP Oval Namibia
Sunday, 25 January
S6 AD A1 vs D3 Namibia Cricket Ground
S6 AD D2 vs A3 HP Oval Namibia
Monday, 26 January
B4 vs C4 Harare Sports Club
S6 BC C1 vs B2 Queens Sports Club
S6 AD D1 vs A2 Namibia Cricket Ground
Tuesday, 27 January
S6 BC C2 vs B3 Harare Sports Club
S6 BC C3 vs B1 Queens Sports Club
Wednesday, 28 January
S6 AD A1 vs D2 Harare Sports Club
Thursday, 29 January
S6 AD D3 vs A2 Queens Sports Club
Friday, 30 January
S6 AD D1 vs A3 Harare Sports Club
S6 BC B3 vs C1 Queens Sports Club
Saturday, 31 January
S6 BC B2 vs C3 Harare Sports Club
Sunday, 1 February
S6 BC B1 vs C2 Queens Sports Club
Monday, 2 February
No matches
Tuesday, 3 February
Semi-Final 1 AD1 vs BC2 Queens Sports Club
Wednesday, 4 February
Semi-Final 2 BC1 vs AD2 Harare Sports Club
Reserve Day (SF1) Queens Sports Club
Thursday, 5 February
Reserve Day (SF 2) Harare Sports Club
Friday, 6 February
Final Harare Sports Club
Saturday, 7 February
Reserve Day (Final) Harare Sports Club
