Cricket Australia has confirmed a bumper home summer for the upcoming season with a white-ball series against South Africa and India before staging the home Ashes in mid-November. Darwin returns as an international venue for the first time in 17 years, hosting two men’s T20Is between Australia and the Proteas in August. The Men in Blue will tour Australia for eight white-ball games before the hosts play England in the marquee five-match Test series.

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After Australia returns home from its tour of the West Indies, it will first host South Africa for three T20Is and as many ODIs across northern Australia, with Darwin, Cairns, and Mackay staging all games.

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Darwin last staged an international game between Australia and Bangladesh in 2008, and its inclusion means the men’s team will play in state and territories in the upcoming season for the first time. Besides, Northern Australia is due to host the two-match Test series against Bangladesh later next year, which was rescheduled from March 2027 due to the 150th anniversary between the Ashes rivals at the MCG.

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Meanwhile, India, who conceded the coveted BGT for the first time in a decade during the last away tour, will return Down Under for the white-ball series, including three ODIs and five T20Is. The Men in Blue begins Australia’s white-ball leg with the first One-Dayer in Perth on October 19, with Adelaide and Sydney hosting the remaining two matches on 23 and 25, respectively.

The T20I leg begins in Canberra four days later, with the remaining four matches scheduled at the iconic MCG, Hobart, Gold Coast and the Gabba in Brisbane, respectively, on scheduled dates. 

However, after the India series and before the home Ashes, the Aussies will travel to New Zealand in October for a short three-match T20I series, the dates of which are yet to be confirmed. 

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Following hosting the Ashes, which ends in January, all teams will prepare for the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India starting mid-February. 

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Australia Men's 2025-26 season full schedule -

Against South Africa

  • August 10: 1st T20I, Darwin (N)
  • August 12: 2nd T20I, Darwin (N)
  • August 16: 3rd T20I, Cairns (N)
  • August 19: 1st ODI, Cairns (D/N)
  • August 22: 2nd ODI, Mackay (D/N)
  • August 24: 3rd ODI, Mackay (D/N)

Against India

  • October 19: 1st ODI, Perth Stadium (D/N)
  • October 23: 2nd ODI, Adelaide (D/N)
  • October 25: 3rd ODI, SCG (D/N)
  • October 29: 1st T20I, Canberra (N)
  • October 31: 2nd T20I, MCG (N)
  • November 2: 3rd T20I, Hobart (N)
  • November 6: 4th T20I, Gold Coast (N)
  • November 8: 5th T20I, Gabba (N)

Men's Ashes

  • November 21-25: 1st Test, Perth Stadium
  • December 4-8: 2nd Test, Gabba (D/N)
  • December 17-21: 3rd Test, Adelaide
  • December 26-30: 4th Test, MCG
  • January 4-8, 5th Test, SCG

(With inputs from agencies)