The 2026 edition of the ICC U19 World Cup is scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia from Jan. 15 to Feb. 6. The 16-team competition will feature defending champions Australia, five-time winners India, and fellow powerhouses New Zealand, South Africa, England, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh vying for the junior World Cup title.
Apart from these giants, co-hosts Zimbabwe, USA, Japan, Scotland, Ireland, Afghanistan and Tanzania will also strive to make their presence felt in the three-week-long tournament spanning across 41 games and five venues in the two African countries.
ICC U19 World Cup 2026: Format
The U19 World Cup 2026 retains the competition's traditional format. The 16 participants will be divided into four groups of four teams each. Three teams from each group will advance to the 'Super 6s stage', while the fourth-placed sides will move to the placement league. Group A's 4th team will take on Group D's fourth side. In the same vein, Group B's 4th side will be facing the 4th team of Group C. The winners and losers of these games will take on each other again to determine the final 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th finishers.
As for the main league, the 12 contenders making it to the 'Super 6s stage' will be divided into two equal groups. While the top 3 from Groups A and D will be combined in one group, those qualifying from Groups B and C will join each other in a separate group. Teams will play two matches against teams making it through from the opposite group and finishing lower or in a different position. For ex, a Group A winner will take on the second and third-placed sides of Group D. That, also while carrying forward points, wins and net run-rate earned against those progressing from their own groups.
The top 2 teams from either Super 6s group will qualify for the tournament semi-finals and the winners will play the final for the prized silverware.
ICC U19 World Cup 2026: Venues
Namibia Cricket Ground and High Performance Oval will host the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 matches allocated to Namibia. The Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Sports Club in Harare and the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo will host the Zimbabwean leg.
ICC U19 World Cup 2026: Groups
Group A: India, Bangladesh, New Zealand and the USA
Group B: Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Scotland and England
Group C: Japan, Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland
Group D: Tanzania, West Indies, South Africa, Afghanistan
ICC U19 World Cup 2026: Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | City / Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 15 | USA vs India | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 15 | Zimbabwe vs Scotland | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 15 | Tanzania vs West Indies | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 16 | Pakistan vs England | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 16 | Australia vs Ireland | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 16 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 17 | India vs Bangladesh | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 17 | Japan vs Sri Lanka | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 18 | New Zealand vs USA | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 18 | England vs Zimbabwe | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 18 | West Indies vs Afghanistan | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 19 | Pakistan vs Scotland | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 19 | Sri Lanka vs Ireland | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 19 | South Africa vs Tanzania | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 20 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 20 | Australia vs Japan | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 21 | England vs Scotland | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 21 | Afghanistan vs Tanzania | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 22 | Zimbabwe vs Pakistan | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 22 | Ireland vs Japan | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 22 | West Indies vs South Africa | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 23 | Bangladesh vs USA | Takashinga Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 23 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 24 | India vs New Zealand | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 24 | A4 vs D4 | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 25 | Super Six A1 vs D3 | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 25 | Super Six D2 vs A3 | HP Oval | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 26 | B4 vs C4 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 26 | Super Six C1 vs B2 | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 26 | Super Six D1 vs A2 | Namibia Cricket Ground | Windhoek- Namibia |
| January 27 | Super Six C2 vs B3 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 27 | Super Six C3 vs B1 | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 28 | Super Six A1 vs D2 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 29 | Super Six D3 vs A2 | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 30 | Super Six D1 vs A3 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| January 30 | Super Six B3 vs C1 | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| January 31 | Super Six B2 vs C3 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| February 1 | Super Six B1 vs C2 | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| February 3 | Semi-final 1 AD 1 vs BC2 | Queens Sports Club | Bulawayo- Zimbabwe |
| February 4 | Semi-final 2 BC1 vs AD2 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| February 5 | Reserve Day (Semi-final 2) | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| February 6 | Final - SF1 vs SF2 | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
| February 7 | Reserve Day (Final) | Harare Sports Club | Harare- Zimbabwe |
ICC U19 World Cup 2026: Squads
Australia: Oliver Peake (c), Kasey Barton, Naden Cooray, Jayden Draper, Ben Gordon, Steven Hogan, Thomas Hogan, John James, Charles Lachmund, Will Malajczuk, Nitesh Samuel, Hayden Schiller, Aryan Sharma, William Taylor, Alex Lee Young
India: Ayush Mhatre (c), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, D Deepesh, Mohamed Enaan, Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Kishan Kumar Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Udhav Mohan, Henil Patel, Khilan A Patel, Harvansh Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi
South Africa: Muhammad Bulbulia (c), JJ Basson, Daniel Bosman, Corne Botha, Paul James, Enathi Khitshini Tembalethu, Michael Kruiskamp, Adnaan Lagadien, Bayanda Majola, Armaan Manack, Bandile Mbatha, Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Jason Rowles, Ntandoyenkosi Soni, Jorich van Schalkwyk
Ireland: Olly Riley (c), Reuben Wilson, Alex Armstrong, Callum Armstrong, Marko Bates, Sebastian Dijkstra, Thomas Ford, Samuel Haslett, Adam Leckey, Febin Manoj, Luke Murray, Robert O’Brien, Freddie Ogilby, James West, Bruce Whaley. Non-Travelling Reserves: Peter le Roux, William Shields
Japan: Kazuma Kato-Stafford (c), Charles Hara-Hinze, Gabriel Hara-Hinze, Montgomery Hara-Hinze, Kaisei Kobayashi-Doggett, Timothy Moore, Skyler Nakayama-Cook, Ryuki Ozeki, Nihar Parmar, Nikhil Pol, Chihaya Sekine, Hugo Tani-Kelly, Sandev Aaryan Waduge, Kai Wall, Taylor Waugh
Sri Lanka: Vimath Dinsara (c), Kavija Gamage, Dimantha Mahavithana, Viran Chamuditha, Dulnith Sigera, Chamika Heentigala, Adam Hilmy, Chamarindu Nethsara, Sethmika Seneviratne, Kugathas Mathulan, Rasith Nimsara, Vigneshwaran Akash, Jeewantha Sriram, Senuja Wekunagoda, Malintha Silva
England: Thomas Rew (c), Farhan Ahmed, Ralphie Albert, Ben Dawkins, Caleb Falconer, Ali Farooq, Alex French, Alex Green, Luke Hands, Manny Lumsden, Ben Mayes, James Minto, Isaac Mohammed, Joe Moores, Sebastian Morgan
Bangladesh: Azizul Hakim Tamim (c), Zawad Abrar (vc), Samiun Basir Ratul, Sheikh Parvez Jibon, Rizan Hossan, Shaharia Al Amin, Shadin Islam, Md Abdullah, Farid Hasan Faysal, Kalam Siddiki Aleen, Rifat Beg, Saad Islam Razin, Al Fahad, Shahriar Ahmed, Iqbal Hossain
Zimbabwe: Simbarashe Mudzengerere (c), Kian Blignaut, Michael Blignaut, Leeroy Chiwaula, Tatenda Chimugoro, Brendon Senzere, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Takudzwa Makoni, Panashe Mazai, Webster Madhidhi, Shelton Mazvitorera, Kupakwashe Muradzi, Brandon Ndiweni, Dhruv Patel, Benny Zuze
New Zealand: Tom Jones (c), Marco Alpe, Hugo Bogue, Harry Burns, Mason Clarke, Jacob Cotter, Aryan Mann, Brandon Matzopoulos, Flynn Morey, Snehith Reddy, Callum Samson, Jaskaran Sandhu, Selwin Sanjay, Hunter Shore, Harry Waite
Scotland: Thomas Knight (c), Finlay Carter, Max Chaplin, George Cutler, Rory Grant, Finlay Jones, Ollie Jones, Ali Khan, Olly Pillinger, Ethan Ramsay, Theo Robinson, Manu Saraswat, Shreyas Tekale, Shlok Thaker, Jake Woodhouse
Pakistan: Farhan Yousaf (c), Usman Khan (vc), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas, Umar Zaib. Non-travelling reserves: Abdul Qadir, Farhanullah, Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, Mohammad Huzaifa
West Indies: Joshua Dorne (c), Jewel Andrew, Shamar Apple, Shaquan Belle, Zachary Carter, Tanez Francis, R’jai Gittens, Vitel Lawes, Micah McKenzie, Matthew Miller, Isra-el Morton, Jakeem Pollard, Aadian Racha, Kunal Tilokani, Jonathan Van Lange. Reserves: Brendan Boodoo, Tyriek Bryan, Earsinho Fontaine, Deshawn James
Tanzania, USA and Afghanistan are yet to announce their squads.
ICC U19 World Cup 2026: Live Streaming Details
The 2026 U19 World Cup matches can be streamed live in India on the Jio Hotstar app and website. The games will also be televised on the Star Sports Network channels. All matches will kick off at 1:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time.