Australia Announce ODI and Test Series Tour Against South Africa In September

Australia confirmed a three-ODI and three-Test tour of South Africa in 2026, marking their first Test series there since 2018.

Australia will tour South Africa in 2026 for a three-match ODI series followed by a highly anticipated three-Test series. It will be Australia’s first Test tour of South Africa since the controversial 2018 trip.

Cricket South Africa announced its 2026-27 international schedule, confirming that the Proteas will host men’s or women’s Test cricket at home for the first time in nearly two years.

The tour will begin with a three-match ODI series in September. The matches will be held at Kingsmead Stadium, Wanderers Stadium and JB Marks Oval.

After the ODI leg, Pat Cummins and his team will face the reigning World Test Championship winners in a three-Test series. The series will conclude at Newlands Cricket Ground, the venue of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that deeply affected Australian cricket.

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The October Test series will begin in Durban before moving to St George’s Park and then Cape Town. A two-day warm-up match will take place in Potchefstroom before the Tests begin. Reports suggest Australia may also play Zimbabwe in 50-over matches before travelling to South Africa.

Format	Match	Dates	Venue	City
ODI Series	1st ODI	September 24	Kingsmead Stadium	Durban
ODI Series	2nd ODI	September 27	Wanderers Stadium	Johannesburg
ODI Series	3rd ODI (D/N)	September 30	JB Marks Oval	Potchefstroom
Warm-up Match	Tour Match	October 3–4	JB Marks Oval	Potchefstroom
Test Series	1st Test	October 9–13	Kingsmead Stadium	Durban
Test Series	2nd Test	October 18–22	St George’s Park	Gqeberha
Test Series	3rd Test	October 27–31	Newlands Cricket Ground	Cape Town

Crucial Series for World Test Championship

The series is expected to play a key role in shaping the next World Test Championship final. Australia currently lead the standings with only one defeat in eight matches. However, they face challenging away tours of South Africa and India, along with a four-Test home series against second-placed New Zealand.

Despite being one of the strongest Test sides recently, South Africa have reduced the number of home Tests due to financial challenges. The SA20 league, featuring six teams owned by IPL franchise groups, has taken up a major portion of their summer schedule.

South Africa last hosted a home Test in January 2025. This season, they will also welcome Bangladesh and England for Test series. Australia are also scheduled to host Bangladesh in northern Australia in August before departing for Africa.