Oval to host England Test in June for first time as 2026 fixtures are announced

The Kia Oval will host an England Test match in June for the first time next year, but will revert to its status as the home of the final Test of the summer for the 2027 men's Ashes, while the long-awaited maiden women's Test at Lord's, against India from July 10-13, has been confirmed as a four-day fixture.

Surrey have traditionally hosted the last Test of the English season and will do so for the 12th time in 15 years next week when The Oval stages the finale of England's series against India. But they will instead host New Zealand from June 17-21 in 2026 after consultation with other counties, with development projects limiting the availability of other venues.

England's men will play six Tests in the 2026 summer, three each against New Zealand (June) and Pakistan (August-September), and will also host India (July) and Sri Lanka (September) for white-ball tours. Their women's international summer is headlined by a home T20 World Cup (June-July), with New Zealand (May), India (May-July) and Ireland (September) also touring.

Some counties have raised eyebrows at the fact Lord's will host three of England's seven Tests next year, including its historic women's Test against India. Robert Lawson, the MCC's chief executive, said it was "only fitting" after strong ticket sales for its recent women's ODI, but one county official told ESPNcricinfo: "The South always gets the cream."

Lord's was guaranteed two men's Tests per year as part of the ECB's international match allocation for 2025-31, and was awarded a women's Test as part of the board's response to the Independent Comission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report in 2023, which criticised the fact Lord's had never hosted one as "truly appalling".

England, India and New Zealand were due to play a women's T20I tri-series of four matches each, as per the initial Future Tours Programme, but will instead both play bilateral series. This will be India's fourth women's tour to England in six years and is split either side of the T20 World Cup, with the Test match scheduled for the week after the final.

The Hundred retains a clear window in England's international schedule - both men's and women's - and is expected to run from July 21 until August 16. The 2026 season will be the tournament's first in which the eight teams are run as privately-owned franchises, with the ECB hoping to announce imminently that deals with new investors have been finalised.

Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, said that the women's T20 World Cup will "undoubtedly" be "the highlight" of the summer. "With world-class opposition visiting iconic venues across the country, fans will have the chance to witness the very best of the men's and women's game," Gould said.

England men's schedule
England women's schedule