KEY POINTS
- The tournament will be hosted across five venues in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6, 2026.
- Sixteen teams will compete in a group stage, followed by a ‘Super Six’ phase to decide the semi-finalists.
- Defending champions Australia headline Group A, while Group B features a heavyweight clash between India and Bangladesh.
- The final and both semi-finals will be held in Zimbabwe, culminating with the championship on February 6.
ISLAMABAD: Cricket’s next generation will descend on Namibia and Zimbabwe for the Under-19 World Cup, running from January 15 through February 6.
Sixteen qualified teams will begin their campaign in a round-robin group stage, divided into four pools of four. In a format designed to reward consistency, the top three teams from each group, twelve in total, will advance to the ‘Super Six’ phase.
There, they will be split into two new groups of six, with the top two from each Super Six group qualifying for the knockout semi-finals. The semi-finals are slated for February 3 and 4, culminating in the grand final on February 6. All three knockout matches will be held in Zimbabwe.
Group dynamics and key fixtures
The draw has set the stage for several intriguing early contests:
Group A: Defending champions Australia, who claimed the title in 2024, will face Ireland, Japan, and Sri Lanka.
Group B: Features a heavyweight clash as the previous edition’s finalists, India, are grouped with Bangladesh, New Zealand, and the USA.
Group C: Includes host nation Zimbabwe alongside England, Pakistan, and Scotland.
Group D: Comprises Afghanistan, South Africa, Tanzania, and the West Indies.
Matches will be played at Harare Sports Club, Takashinga Sports Club, and Queens Sports Club in Zimbabwe, alongside the Namibia Cricket Ground and HP Oval in Namibia.
As teams finalise their selections, here is a breakdown of the squads taking shape.
U19 World Cup 2026: Squads
Australia: 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.
Ireland: 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.
Japan: 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.
Scotland: Thomas Knight (c), Finlay Carter, Max Chaplin, George Cutler, Rory Grant, Finlay Jones, Ollie Jones, Ali Khan, Olly Pillinger, Ethan Ramsay, Theo Robinson, Manu Saraswat, Shreyas Tekale, Shlok Thaker, Jake Woodhouse.
Zimbabwe: 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.
South Africa: 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.
West Indies: 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.
Pakistan: Farhan Yousaf (captain), Usman Khan (vice-captain), 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-travelling reserves: Abdul Qadir, Farhanullah, Hassan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, Mohammad Huzaifa.
New Zealand: 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.
Sri Lanka: Vimath Dinsara (c), Kavija Gamage, Dimantha Mahavithana, Viran Chamuditha, Dulnith Sigera, Chamika Heentigala, Adam Hilmy, Chamarindu Nethsara, Sethmika Seneviratne, Kugathas Mathulan, Rasith Nimsara, Vigneshwaran Akash, Jeewantha Sriram, Senuja Wekunagoda, Malintha Silva.
India: Ayush Mhatre (c), Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.
England: 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.
Squads for Bangladesh, the USA, Afghanistan, and Tanzania are pending announcement. The tournament promises to be a compelling showcase of the skill and passion defining cricket’s future.
