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.
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. Australia had to delve into their pace depth with Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett and Jhye Richardson all featuring.
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. Discussions are ongoing about whether England will play one before the 150th Test at the MCG.
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 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
