The 2026 tournament kicks off January 15 and runs until February 6 across Zimbabwe and Namibia. Australia won last year and comes back as the team to beat. India chases a sixth title, having lost the 2024 final. Pakistan won this twice already.
Bangladesh won the tournament in 2020. Then there’s Tanzania, stepping into this competition for the very first time.
Across five venues, 41 matches will be played. Group stages, Super Six knockouts, semi-finals, then the final at Harare Sports Club. That’s where it all ends.
ICC U19 World Cup 2026 Timeline
January 15 starts things off with matches happening simultaneously in Bulawayo, Harare, and Windhoek across three different grounds. The group stage runs through January 24, figuring out who moves forward and who doesn’t.
The fourth-place teams from each group face playoffs on January 24 and 26 to stay alive. Super Six matches run from January 25 through February 1, mixing winners from different pools into two new groups.
February 3 and 4 bring the semi-finals with an extra day built in just in case. Then, on February 6, the final.
Full Teams & Squads Of The ICC U19 World Cup 2026
Some nations picked 24 players, others went with 14. It depends on how they see their squad depth. Every team confirmed its captain and coaching staff.
Several brought back players who had already been to this tournament in 2024, particularly Australia, India, Bangladesh, and South Africa. Playing in a World Cup before changes how you approach the second one.
Here are full squad lists for all 16 nations participating in the ICC U19 World Cup 2026:
1. Afghanistan U19: yet to be announced
2. Ireland U19: Olly Riley (c), Reuben Wilson, Alex Armstrong, Callum Armstrong, Marko Bates, Sebastian Dijkstra, Thomas Ford, Samuel Haslett, Adam Leckey, Febin Manoj, Luke Murray, Robert O’Brien, Freddie Ogilby, James West, Bruce Whaley
Non-Travelling Reserves: Peter le Roux, William Shields
3. USA U19: yet to be announced
4. Australia U19: Oliver Peake (c), Kasey Barton, Naden Cooray, Jayden Draper, Ben Gordon, Steven Hogan, Thomas Hogan, John James, Charles Lachmund, Will Malajczuk, Nitesh Samuel, Hayden Schiller, Aryan Sharma, William Taylor, Alex Lee Young
5. Bangladesh U19: yet to be announced
6. England U19: Thomas Rew (c), Farhan Ahmed, Ralphie Albert, Ben Dawkins, Caleb Falconer, Ali Farooq, Alex French, Alex Green, Luke Hands, Manny Lumsden, Ben Mayes, James Minto, Isaac Mohammed, Joe Moores, Sebastian Morgan
7. India U19: yet to be announced
8. Sri Lanka U19: yet to be announced
9. New Zealand U19: Tom Jones (c), Marco Alpe, Hugo Bogue, Harry Burns, Mason Clarke, Jacob Cotter, Aryan Mann, Brandon Matzopoulos, Flynn Morey, Snehith Reddy, Callum Samson, Jaskaran Sandhu, Selwin Sanjay, Hunter Shore, Harry Waite
10. Pakistan U19: Farhan Yousaf (c), Usman Khan (vc), Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor (wk), Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Mohammad Sayyam, Mohammad Shayan (wk), Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas, Umar Zaib
Non-traveling reserves: Abdul Qadir, Farhanullah, Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, Mohammad Huzaifa
11. South Africa U19: Muhammad Bulbulia (c), JJ Basson, Daniel Bosman, Corne Botha, Paul James, Enathi Khitshini Tembalethu, Michael Kruiskamp, Adnaan Lagadien, Bayanda Majola, Armaan Manack, Bandile Mbatha, Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Jason Rowles, Ntandoyenkosi Soni, Jorich van Schalkwyk
12. Scotland U19: George Cutler, Rory Grant, Theo Robinson, Ali Khan, Finlay Jones, Manu Saraswat, Ollie Jones, Olly Pillinger, Ram Sharma, Finlay Carter, Thomas Knight, Ethan Ramsay, Jake Woodhouse, Max Chaplin
13. West Indies U19: Joshua Dorne (c), Jewel Andrew, Shamar Apple, Shaquan Belle, Zachary Carter, Tanez Francis, R’jai Gittens, Vitel Lawes, Micah McKenzie, Matthew Miller, Isra-el Morton, Jakeem Pollard, Aadian Racha, Kunal Tilokani, Jonathan Van Lange
Reserves: Brendan Boodoo, Tyriek Bryan, Earsinho Fontaine, Deshawn James
14. Zimbabwe U19: Simbarashe Mudzengerere (c), Kian Blignaut, Michael Blignaut, Leeroy Chiwaula, Tatenda Chimugoro, Brendon Senzere, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Takudzwa Makoni, Panashe Mazai, Webster Madhidhi, Shelton Mazvitorera, Kupakwashe Muradzi, Brandon Ndiweni, Dhruv Patel, Benny Zuze
15. Japan U19: Kazuma Kato-Stafford (c), Charles Hara-Hinze, Gabriel Hara-Hinze, Montgomery Hara-Hinze, Kaisei Kobayashi-Doggett, Timothy Moore, Skyler Nakayama-Cook, Ryuki Ozeki, Nihar Parmar, Nikhil Pol, Chihaya Sekine, Hugo Tani-Kelly, Sandev Aaryan Waduge, Kai Wall, Taylor Waugh
16. Tanzania U19: yet to be announced
The groups got put together to keep major rivals apart early. Group A has India, the USA, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. Australia faces Ireland, Japan, and Sri Lanka in Group C. Pakistan takes on England, Zimbabwe, and Scotland in Group B.
South Africa tangles with Afghanistan, the West Indies, and Tanzania in Group D. Each group plays three matches before the best teams move ahead to Super Six cricket. The way it’s structured keeps everyone interested throughout the early rounds.
Zimbabwe plays at home in Harare with local crowds behind them. Tanzania’s first appearance here matters more than just cricket. It signals the game is genuinely expanding into new parts of Africa.
Where To Watch The ICC U19 World Cup 2026?
SuperSport covers it across Africa through multiple channels, while the ICC.tv streams matches for registered users in most places globally, offering live and catch-up options through their website and app.
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Conclusion: All 16 U19 Squads Are Ready To Compete For The World Cup
Sixteen nations announced their squads for the January start. Australia defends, India wants more, and Tanzania arrives as a newcomer. Several players from last year’s tournament got selected again, particularly those whose teams went deep.
The groups were designed to mix things up, keeping blockbuster matchups for later while ensuring proper cricket early on. Twenty-three days, five venues, Zimbabwe and Namibia as hosts, and February 6 as the finish line, where one team lifts the trophy.
FAQs
Zimbabwe went the biggest with 24 players, while others stayed leaner with 14, depending on how each board wanted to balance experience with depth and rotation during matches.
Tanzania plays its first-ever U19 World Cup match here in 2026, representing a genuine breakthrough for East African cricket and showing the game continues expanding into new territories.
Most teams announced their final 11 and full squad lists during December 2025 and early January, wrapping up their domestic selection processes before the tournament began on the 15th.
ICC rules allow replacement players if someone gets injured, subject to approval from tournament officials, keeping teams competitive and managing injuries as they happen during matches.
