After a hard-fought U-19 Asian Cup Pakistan beat India in the finalattention now shifts to the global stage as the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 kicks off this Thursday (January 15). The prestigious junior tournament will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia and is a milestone for junior cricket in South Africa.
U19 World Cup 2026: Tournament format
Sixteen teams will compete for the title of U19 world champion over three weeks. The competition is held according to a familiar and competitive structure, the teams are divided into four groups of four. The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six, where the performances will continue to determine the semi-finalists. From there, the top two teams advance to the semifinals, culminating in a final matchup to crown the world champions.
U19 World Cup 2026: Groups
The groups for the tournament have a mix of traditional powerhouses and emerging cricket nations. Australia, Ireland, Japan and Sri Lanka in Group A, and Bangladesh in Group B. IndiaNew Zealand and the USA are fighting for supremacy. Along with Scotland, Group C is hosted by England and Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Group D features Afghanistan, South Africa, Tanzania and West Indies, which promises a competitive contest between the venues.
U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026: Squads
Group A
Australia: Oliver Peak (c), Kasey Barton, Naden Kuray, Jayden Draper, Ben Gordon, Stephen Hogan, Thomas Hogan, John James, Charles Lachmund, Will Malaychuk, Nitesh Samuel, Hayden Schiller, Aryan Sharma, William Byrom, Alex Lee Young
Ireland: Olyal Raley (C), Ruben Wilson, Alex Armstrong, Callum Armstrong, Marco Bates, Sebastian Dijkstra, Thomas Ford, Samuel Haslett, Adam Leckie, Febin Manoj, Luke Murray, Robert O’Brien, Freddie Son, James West, whale bracket. Subs: 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 Paul, Chihaya Sekine-K, Huelgo, Kaelli, Taylor Waugh
Sri Lanka: Vimath Dinsara (c), Kavija Gamage, Dimantha Mahavithana, Viran Chamuditha, Dulnith Sigera, Chamika Heentigala, Adam Hilmy, Chamarindu Nethsara, Setmika Seneviratne, Kugathas Mathulan, Rasith Nimsara, Vigneshwaran Akashunaa, Jewneshwaran Akashunauka, Jennitha Sakauha, Silva
Group B
Bangladesh: Azizul Hakim Tamim (c), Zawad Abrar, Samiun Basir Ratul, Sheikh Parvez Jibon, Rizan Hossan, Shaharia Al Amin, Shadin Islam, Md Abdullah, Farid Hasan Faisal, Kalam Siddiqui Aleen, Rifat Beg, Saad Islam Razin, Al Fahad, Shahriar Ahmed, Iqbal Hossain. Subs: Abdur Rahim, Debashis Sarkar Deba, Rafi Uzzaman Rafi, Farhan Shahriar, Farzan Ahmed Alif, Sanjid Majumder, Md Sobuj
India: Ayush Mhatre (c), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, D. Deepesh, Mohamed Enaan, Aaron George, Abhigyan Kundu, Kishan Kumar Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Udhav Mohan, Henil Patel, Khilan A. Patel, Harvansh Singh, Vaibhav Vedant Trivanshi,
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, Caskaran Sandhu, Selwin Sanjay, Hunter Shore, Luke Harrison
USA: Utkarsh Srivastava (c), Adnit Chamb, Shiv Shani, Nitish Sudini, Advaith Krishna, Sahir Bhatia, Arjun Mahesh, Amrinder Gill, Sabrish Prasad, Adit Kappa, Sahil Garg, Amog Reddy Arepally, Ritvik Appidi, Rayaan Taj, Rishabh
Group C
England: Thomas Rew (c), Farhan Ahmed, Ralphie Albert, Will Bennison, Ben Dawkins, Caleb Falconer, Ali Farooq, Alex French, Alex Green, Luke Hands, Manny Lumsden, Ben Mayes, James Minto, Joe Moores, Sebastian Morgan
Pakistan: Farhan Yusuf (c), Usman Khan, Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Hussain, Ali Hasan Baloch, Ali Raza, Daniyal Ali Khan, Hamza Zahoor, Huzaifa Ahsan, Momin Qamar, Muhammad Sayyam, Muhammad Shayan, Niqab Shafiq, Sameer Minhas, Omar Zaib. Substitutes: Abdul Qadir, Farhanullah, Hasan Khan, Ibtisam Azhar, Muhammad Huzeifa
Scotland: Thomas Knight (c), Finlay Carter, Max Chaplin, George Cutler, Rory Grant, Finlay Jones, Ollie Jones, Ollie Pillinger, Ethan Ramsey, Theo Robinson, Manu Saraswat, Ram Sharma, Shreyas Tekale, Shlok Thacker, Jake Woodhouse
Zimbabwe: Simbarashe Muddzengerere (c), Kian Blignaut, Michael Blignaut, Leeroy Chiwaula, Tatenda Chimugoro, Brendon Senzere, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Takudzu Makoni, Panashe Mazai, Webster Madhidi, Shelton Mazvitorera, Kapakwashe Murazi, Brandon Ndiuvweni, D.
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Group D
Afghanistan: Mahbub Khan (c), Khalid Ahmadzai, Osman Sadat, Faisal Khan, Uzayrullah Niazai, Aziz Mia Khil, Nazif Amiri, Khatir Stanikzai, Nuristani, Abdul Aziz, Salam Khan, Wahid Zadran, Zaitullah Shahin, Rohullah Arab, Hafiez Zadran. Reserves: Agil Khan, Fahim Ghasemi, Izat Noor
South Africa: Muhammad Bulbulia (c), JJ Basson, Daniel Bosman, Corne Botha, Paul James, Enathi Khitchini, Michael Kruiskamp, ​​​​​​​​Adnaan Lagadien, Bayanda Majola, Armaan Manack, Bandile Mbatha, Lethabo Pahlamohlaka, Jason Rowles, Ntandoyenkosi Sonialk, Jorichwyk
Tanzania: Laksh Bakrania (c), Karim Kiseto, Hamza Ally, Khalidy Amiri, Abdulaz Mohamedi, Ayaan Shariff, Omary Ramadhani, Dylan Thakrar, Agustino Mwamele, Ally Hafidhi, Acrey Pascal (wk), Darpan Jobanputra, Mohammedi Simba, Almond Daniels
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. Subs: Brendan Boodoo, Tyriek Bryan, Earsinho Fontaine, Deshawn James
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