The 2026 Summer of Cricket: What's On, and Where to Be

The first warm afternoons of an English cricket summer.

If you've not had a chance to catch your breath, you're not alone. The 2026 cricket summer is loaded — and it really hasn't started yet. From the first Test at Lord's in June all the way through to England's tour of South Africa in December, and on into the Cape Town New Year Test in January, there's barely a week without something on. Here's a quick run-through of what's coming, and where you might want to be.

Before the summer kicks off — where England men stand

England men have been between fixtures since their T20 World Cup campaign ended in heartbreak — a seven-run defeat to India in the semi-final at Wankhede in March, after coming desperately close to one of the great chases in T20 cricket. That loss will sit with the white-ball side when they reconvene later in the summer. First, though, comes the red-ball reset: three Tests against New Zealand, starting at Lord's on 4 June. A chance to make a statement after a quiet few months.

June — Test cricket returns to Lord's

The English summer proper begins on Thursday 4 June, when Lord's hosts the first Test against New Zealand — three Tests across a fast-moving June (Lord's, The Kia Oval on 17 June, Trent Bridge from 25 June). New Zealand are always a good watch in English conditions: tight bowling, smart fields, and a top order that loves a tricky surface.

If Tests are your thing, June is the month. If you've never sat through a day at Lord's on a sunny Thursday with the Pavilion in front of you and a pint in your hand, you've got a gap in your cricket life that needs closing.

12 June – 5 July — Women's T20 World Cup, England & Wales

Layered on top of the Tests is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, hosted across England and Wales — twelve teams, 33 matches, seven grounds, twenty-four days of cricket. The hosts open against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on 12 June, with key group games including West Indies at Lord's (24 June) and New Zealand at The Oval (27 June).

The semi-finals land at The Oval on 30 June and 2 July. The final? Sunday 5 July, at Lord's. Lord's hosting a Women's T20 World Cup final is one of those moments that'll be talked about for years. If you can be there, be there.

July — India come to town

Just as the World Cup wraps, India's white-ball tour begins on 1 July — five T20Is and three ODIs across the back half of the summer. India touring England in any format is a feast: the crowds, the storylines, the sub-continental travelling support filling out the white-ball grounds. T20 series against India in England tend to be box-office.

All summer long — county T20 under the lights

Threading through everything is the Vitality Blast — 99 matches across all 18 counties from late May to mid-July. Friday-night floodlit cricket at smaller grounds is the unsung great experience of the English summer: the Roses match at Headingley in early June, a tight evening at Hove or Canterbury, the carnival atmosphere of finals day later on. If you're a Test purist who's never been to a county T20 night, try one this summer. It's a different game, and a brilliant one.

And then — South Africa

Once the English summer winds down through the Pakistan Test series in September (final Test from 9 September at Edgbaston), attention swings south. England tour South Africa in December, and the trip culminates in the Newlands Test in early January 2027 — the New Year Test at Cape Town, with Table Mountain over the ground and the long South African summer light stretching across the pitch.

If you've ever been at Newlands for a New Year Test, you'll know why we end every conversation about cricket-as-travel pointing in that direction. If you haven't, this is the year.

In short — it doesn't stop

The 2026 cricket summer is on. It runs from Lord's in June all the way to Cape Town in January, with Lord's, The Oval, Trent Bridge, Headingley, Edgbaston, Hove, Canterbury and a dozen smaller grounds in between. There's a fixture in there for every kind of cricket fan, and a trip in there for every kind of cricket traveller.

If any of this catches your eye and you'd like a steer on what's worth travelling for, drop your details at followontours.com. We've been doing this for 17 years. There's no calendar quite like a cricket one.