New Zealand’s men’s cricket team, the Black Caps, will open their 2026 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign against co-host South Africa in Cape Town. The tournament’s full schedule, recently released, reveals the Black Caps have been drawn into Group B alongside South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, and one qualifier.
New Zealand’s first match will take place at Newlands on October 9, followed by fixtures against Bangladesh in KuGumpo City on October 12, the qualifier in Harare on October 17, Sri Lanka in Johannesburg on October 20, and England in Gqeberha on October 23. The round-robin stage features 12 venues spread across South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
The tournament’s marquee opening fixtures include the high-profile India-Pakistan clash scheduled for October 10 in Johannesburg, which will also host the final on November 21. The 12 participating nations are divided into two groups, with defending champions Australia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and a qualifier comprising Group A.
Qualification for the two remaining tournament spots will be decided early next year through a separate 10-team competition. The winner of that event will enter the group stage directly, while the losing finalists and two losing semifinalists will partake in the Super Series in Namibia, offering one additional World Cup qualification place.
Zimbabwe, one of the tournament co-hosts, will begin their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on October 11 in Bulawayo. The newly constructed Victoria Falls Stadium in Zimbabwe will host the final group stage match between Zimbabwe and India on October 24, as well as three fixtures during the Super 7 stage.
After the group phase, the top three teams from each group advance to the Super 7 stage, along with the best-performing fourth-place team across both groups. Some teams have been pre-seeded into the Super 7 to ensure clarity for fans and stakeholders; New Zealand and India are seeded as B1 and A1, respectively.
England’s itinerary includes two group matches in Namibia. The Super 7 stage will be contested across multiple venues, including South African grounds and Victoria Falls Stadium. The top four teams following the Super 7 phase will progress to the semifinals, with the first-placed team facing the fourth-placed side, and the second and third-placed teams competing for the other final berth.
ICC chairman Jay Shah highlighted the tournament’s broad hosting footprint across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, underscoring the organizers’ ambitions to create a memorable platform for the world’s leading cricket teams. The tournament is set to commence in early October 2026 and run through to November’s final.