AUCKLAND, 24 July 2026

The BLACKCAPS will return to England in September 2027 for a demanding eight-match white-ball tour that will serve as their final major preparation for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

New Zealand Cricket has confirmed that the national side will play three Twenty20 internationals and five one-day internationals against England across eight different venues.

The tour will begin in Durham on 8 September NZT and finish at Headingley in Leeds on 25 September, just nine days before the World Cup is scheduled to begin on 4 October.

The 2027 tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

With five ODIs included in the England series, the tour will provide New Zealand with an important opportunity to settle its preferred batting order, bowling combinations and overall World Cup strategy.

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Eight matches across eight English venues

The BLACKCAPS will start the tour with three T20 internationals in Chester-le-Street, Manchester and Cardiff.

The opening match will be played at Durham’s Riverside Ground, followed by games at Old Trafford and Sophia Gardens.

Attention will then turn to the 50-over format, with the five-match ODI series beginning at Edgbaston in Birmingham on 14 September NZT.

The teams will also meet at Lord’s, the County Ground in Bristol and Trent Bridge before the series concludes at Headingley.

The schedule will take New Zealand through several of England’s best-known cricket grounds in less than three weeks.

England’s wider 2027 home programme also includes a major Ashes series against Australia, with the England and Wales Cricket Board confirming a packed international calendar.

Important World Cup preparation

The five ODIs are likely to be the most significant part of the tour.

Conditions in England will not be identical to those expected in southern Africa, but the series will allow New Zealand to test its squad against one of international cricket’s strongest white-ball teams.

Playing five consecutive matches should also give selectors enough time to assess different combinations rather than treating each game as an isolated contest.

The final ODI will finish only nine days before the World Cup opener. That creates a valuable competitive build-up, but it also presents risks.

Players will have little time to recover from injuries, manage fatigue or adjust to conditions in southern Africa. Team management will therefore need to balance the desire to win the series with the need to arrive at the World Cup with a healthy squad.

The schedule also means fringe players could receive meaningful opportunities if workloads are carefully managed.

BLACKCAPS returning with confidence

New Zealand will return to England following its historic 2-1 Test series victory there in June 2026.

After losing the opening Test, the BLACKCAPS responded strongly to win the second match before completing the series at Trent Bridge with a 160-run victory.

The result was New Zealand’s first victory in an English series containing three or more Tests since 1999. It also marked England’s first home defeat in a Test series of at least three matches in 14 years.

That success showed New Zealand’s ability to adapt to English conditions and recover after a difficult start.

The white-ball side has also recently completed a 3-2 ODI series victory over the West Indies in the Caribbean.

New Zealand secured the series by winning three consecutive matches after losing the opener, although the West Indies claimed the fifth and final ODI by two wickets.

It was only New Zealand’s second ODI series victory in the Caribbean, adding further momentum as preparations gradually build towards the 2027 World Cup.

A major test for the developing squad

The 2027 tour will arrive during an important period of transition for the BLACKCAPS.

By then, selectors will need to determine which experienced players remain central to the team and which members of the next generation are ready for a World Cup campaign.

The England series could effectively become a final selection trial.

Several positions may remain open, particularly among the backup batters, spin options and pace-bowling group. Performances against England, under pressure and immediately before a global tournament, are likely to carry considerable weight.

The three T20Is may have less direct relevance to the ODI World Cup, but they will still offer useful exposure to English conditions and high-pressure international cricket.

They could also provide an opportunity to manage the workloads of players expected to feature throughout the five-match ODI series.

BLACKCAPS 2027 tour of England schedule

T20I series

First T20I
Chester-le-Street, Durham
Wednesday, 8 September, 5.30am NZT

Second T20I
Old Trafford, Manchester
Friday, 10 September, 5.30am NZT

Third T20I
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Sunday, 12 September, 1.30am NZT

ODI series

First ODI
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Tuesday, 14 September, 11.30pm NZT

Second ODI
Lord’s, London
Thursday, 16 September, 11.30pm NZT

Third ODI
County Ground, Bristol
Sunday, 19 September, 9.30pm NZT

Fourth ODI
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Wednesday, 22 September, 11.30pm NZT

Fifth ODI
Headingley, Leeds
Saturday, 25 September, 9.30pm NZT

High-stakes finish before World Cup

The tour promises to be one of the most important stages of New Zealand’s World Cup preparation.

A five-match ODI series against England offers the BLACKCAPS a level of competitive intensity that training camps and warm-up matches cannot reproduce.

It will also give supporters a much clearer picture of New Zealand’s likely World Cup squad, leadership structure and tactical approach.

However, with only nine days separating the final match in Leeds from the World Cup opener, there will be almost no room for serious injuries, poor planning or delayed travel.

The BLACKCAPS will want to leave England with momentum. More importantly, they will need to leave with a settled and fully fit squad.

References

New Zealand Cricket, BLACKCAPS 2027 Tour of England announcement, 23 July 2026.

England and Wales Cricket Board, England Men’s international fixtures and major match venue programme.

Reuters, New Zealand’s 2-1 Test series victory over England, 29 June 2026.

ESPNcricinfo, New Zealand tour of the West Indies 2026 results.