Australia fixtures 2026-27 – Four Tests in four weeks to challenge Australia, New Zealand quicks

Australia’s men will face a condensed home season in 2026-27, including four Tests in barely a month against New Zealand, as part of their hectic 11-month period which will see them playing up to 21 Tests from August this year.

New Zealand will play their first series of more than three Tests since 1999 with matches in Perth (December 9-13), Adelaide (17-21), Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 4-8), the dates confirmed as Cricket Australia (CA) released its full 2026-27 schedule.

It has been known for some time that the schedule facing the men’s side from later this year will be shaped by a trio of defining overseas tours to South Africa, India and England. But CA’s fixture release has locked in further elements for a season that will start with previously confirmed Tests against Bangladesh in northern Australia and finish with the 150th anniversary match against England at the MCG.

Australia’s women will face Bangladesh (October) and New Zealand (February-March) at home with an away ODI series in Sri Lanka on the FTP for December. On Friday, Cricket South Africa confirmed a multi-format series in March-April 2027 which will include a Test match.

Originally the New Zealand men’s tour was meant to be three Tests but a fourth was added when the 150th Test was introduced and Bangladesh’s visit moved from March 2027 to this August, with a proposed visit by Afghanistan scrubbed due to CA’s stance of not playing bilateral cricket against them.

With New Zealand due to host India directly before crossing the Tasman, and Australia then set to leave for India almost straight after the series, four Tests have effectively been squeezed into the same window as three would have been played. It means two four-day turnarounds and one three-day gap in the series with some trade-offs required: Perth will start on a Wednesday and the New Year SCG Test will run from Monday to Friday.

The schedule will challenge the pace bowlers on both sides. This season, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland were able to play all five Ashes Tests (along with England’s Brydon Carse) although that demand was eased with the two-day finishes in Perth and Melbourne.

New Zealand will not play a warm-up match in Australia having just completed the series against India, while Bangladesh have not requested one ahead of their visit in August although there is the potential for that to change.

There will be an Australia A tour to India in September which will mirror the one played last year and provide opportunities for players to push their case for the Test tour in early 2027.

Before hosting New Zealand, Australia’s men will play England across eight white-ball matches (three ODIs and five T20Is) – starting 12 days after they return from South Africa – with England then returning in March for the day-night Test at the MCG.

Australia will return to international action in late May following the IPL with an ODI series in Pakistan before a white-ball tour of Bangladesh. They will likely play 15 ODIs this year – against Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, South Africa and England – but may only have six more in 2027 ahead of the World Cup.

The visit of Bangladesh’s women in October – their first bilateral series in Australia – will be played across just two venues with Allan Border Field hosting the three ODIs and North Sydney Oval the three T20Is. New Zealand’s women will play at North Sydney Oval, Canberra, Junction Oval and Karen Rolton Oval. There are no women’s matches at major venues next season; this season India played T20Is at the SCG and Adelaide Oval.

Australia’s 2026-27 home schedule

Men’s Test series vs Bangladesh

First Test: August 13 – 17, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 10am
Second Test: August 22 – 26, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10am

Women’s ODI series vs Bangladesh

Friday, October 9: Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 1.50pm (D/N)
Sunday, October 11: Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 1.50pm (D/N)
Wednesday, October 14: Allan Border Field, Brisbane, 1.50pm (D/N)

Women’s T20I series vs Bangladesh

Sunday, October 18: North Sydney Oval, Sydney, 7.15pm (N)
Tuesday, October 20: North Sydney Oval, Sydney, 7.15pm (N)
Thursday, October 22: North Sydney Oval, Sydney, 7.15pm (N)

Men’s ODI series vs England

Friday, November 13: Perth Stadium, Perth, 11.30am (D/twilight)
Sunday, November 15: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 2pm (D/N)
Wednesday, November 18: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 2.30pm (D/N)

Men’s T20I series vs England

Saturday, November 21: MCG, Melbourne, 7.15pm (N)
Tuesday, November 24: Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, 6.15pm (N)
Friday, November 27: The Gabba, Brisbane, 6.15pm (N)
Sunday, November 29: SCG, Sydney, 7.15pm (N)
Wednesday, December 2: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7.15pm (N)

Men’s Test series vs New Zealand

First Test: December 9 – 13, Perth Stadium, Perth, 10.20am
Second Test: December 17 – 21: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 11am
Third Test: December 26 – 30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am
Fourth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am

Women’s T20I series vs New Zealand

Sunday, February 21: North Sydney Oval, Sydney, 1.30pm (D)
Wednesday, February 24: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7.15pm (N)
Friday, February 26: CitiPower Centre, Melbourne, 7.15pm (N)

Women’s ODI series vs New Zealand

Monday, March 1: CitiPower Centre, Melbourne, 2.50pm (D/N)
Friday, March 5: Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 2.20pm (D/N)
Sunday, March 7: Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 2.20pm (D/N)

150th Anniversary Test match

March 11 – 15: MCG, Melbourne, 2.00pm (D/N)

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo

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