ICC announces full schedule for U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, confirms no India-Pakistan clash in the Group Stage

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have announced the schedule for the upcoming edition of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, which will take place from 15 January to 6 February 2026. The last edition of the tournament was played in 2024. The format of the mega event will remain the same, with 16 teams divided into groups of four in the first stage. 41 matches will be played in the tournament over 23 days.

Group Distribution for teams in the Under-19 World Cup

Teams featuring in the mega event will arrive on January 8 and will play warm-ups from 9-14 January. Here are the group distribution for the mega event. 

Group A: India, Bangladesh, USA and New Zealand. 

Group B: Zimbabwe, Pakistan, England, and Scotland.

Group C: Australia, Ireland, Japan, and Sri Lanka

Group D: Tanzania, West Indies, Afghanistan, and South Africa

The opening day of the 16-team tournament sees India take on USA, Zimbabwe go up against Scotland, and Tanzania take on the West Indies. Japan who featured in the tournament back in 2020, made their comeback, and Tanzania will feature for the first time. Here's the full schedule. 

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GROUP-STAGE MATCHES (15–24 January 2026)

How teams will qualify for Super Six phase

The league stage will be followed by the Super Six phase, wherein the top three-ranked sides from the aforementioned groups will be divided into two groups of six.

SUPER SIX / PLACEMENT MATCHES (24 January – 1 February 2026)

The knockout stage will follow, comprising two semi-finals and a final. and there will be a reserve day for both semifinals and the title decider. 

KNOCKOUT STAGE

Venues for the Under-19 World Cup

Harare Sports Club (Harare, Zimbabwe), Takashinga Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe), Namibia Cricket Ground (Windhoek, Namibia), and HP Oval (Windhoek) will host the fifty-over tournament.