2026 County Championship
Cricket tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 County Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship 2026,[1] will be the 126th cricket County Championship season in England and Wales.[2][3] As in 2025, Division One had ten teams and Division Two had eight teams.[4] The season began on 3 April and ended on 27 September 2026.[5] Nottinghamshire are the defending champions.[6][7]
Dates3 April – 27 September 2026
AdministratorEngland and Wales Cricket Board
Cricket formatFirst-class cricket (4 days)
Tournament formatLeague system
| Dates | 3 April – 27 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Administrator | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | First-class cricket (4 days) |
| Tournament format | League system |
| Participants | 18 |
| Matches | 126 |
Teams
The teams were split based on the finishing positions in the 2025 season. The following teams will take part in the County Championship:
Division One teams
| Team | Primary home ground | Captain | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | County Ground, Chelmsford | ||
| Glamorgan | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | ||
| Hampshire | Rose Bowl, Southampton | ||
| Leicestershire | Grace Road, Leicester | ||
| Nottinghamshire | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | ||
| Somerset | County Ground, Taunton | ||
| Surrey | The Oval, London | ||
| Sussex | County Ground, Hove | ||
| Warwickshire | Edgbaston, Birmingham | ||
| Yorkshire | Headingley, Leeds |
Team promoted from Division Two in 2025
Division Two teams
| Team | Primary home ground | Captain | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire | County Ground, Derby | ||
| Durham | Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street | ||
| Gloucestershire | County Ground, Bristol | ||
| Kent | St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury | ||
| Lancashire | Old Trafford, Manchester | ||
| Middlesex | Lord's, London | ||
| Northamptonshire | County Ground, Northampton | ||
| Worcestershire | New Road, Worcester |
Team relegated from Division One in 2025
Standings
Division One
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | D | A | Bat | Bowl | Ded | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Glamorgan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Hampshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Leicestershire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Nottinghamshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Somerset | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Surrey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Sussex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Warwickshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Yorkshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Division Two
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | D | A | Bat | Bowl | Ded | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derbyshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Durham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Gloucestershire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Kent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Lancashire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Middlesex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Northamptonshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Worcestershire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Division One fixtures
April
3–6 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
3–6 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
3–6 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
17–20 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
May
1–4 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
June
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
19–22 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
19–22 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
19–22 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
August
20–23 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
20–23 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
20–23 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
27–30 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
27–30 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
September
2–5 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
2–5 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
Division Two fixtures
April
3–6 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
3–6 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
3–6 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
10–13 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
17–20 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
17–20 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 April 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
May
1–4 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
1–4 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 May 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
June
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
12–15 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
19–22 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
19–22 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
19–22 June 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
August
20–23 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
20–23 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
20–23 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
27–30 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
27–30 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
27–30 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
27–30 August 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
September
2–5 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
2–5 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
2–5 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
2–5 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
8–11 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
15–18 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||
24–27 September 2026 Scorecard |
v |
||