Cricket Australia unveil 2026-27 men's domestic schedule with each state to host Sheffield Shield matches at their Test venues
Pink-ball Shield round to precede 150th Anniversary Test
The MCG will host a pink-ball Sheffield Shield match a month out from next year's 150th Anniversary Test, aiding the venue's pitch preparations ahead of the historic fixture.
Cricket Australia today released the 2026-27 men's domestic schedule with Victoria to face Tasmania under lights at the MCG from February 8-11, 2027, prior to the anniversary Test between Australia and England at the iconic stadium from March 11.
Full 2026-27 schedule
The competition's entire round seven, which follows the Big Bash break, will be day-night matches at major venues, with Queensland also taking on Western Australia at the Gabba and South Australia hosting NSW at Adelaide Oval.
It will be the first day-night Shield match at the MCG in more than a decade, with the one-off anniversary match set to be the first ever men's pink-ball Test there.
The ground has previously hosted a women's Ashes Test under lights in 2025, as well as a pink-ball first-class match that saw England Lions beat Australia A in 2020.
While CA operations boss Peter Roach said the domestic scheduling wasn't a direct response to the fallout from last summer where the Perth and Melbourne Ashes Tests concluded inside two days, the pink-ball Shield match will be an important part of MCG head curator Matt Page and his team's build towards Test cricket's 150-year celebrations.
It's hoped the opportunity to prepare an extra first-class pitch prior to the anniversary Test will ensure there is no repeat of last year's regrettable Boxing Day surface that tilted too heavily towards fast bowling and produced 36 wickets in just 142 overs.
That pitch was ultimately deemed "unsatisfactory" by the ICC and cost CA millions of dollars in lost revenues.
The MCG will host a total of three Sheffield Shield games this coming season – the most it has since 2019-20 – with the two other games scheduled prior to this year's Boxing Day Test against New Zealand, with Victoria to face WA in round four and Queensland in round six.
The first ever day-night one-day match under the new floodlights at Melbourne's Junction Oval on September 25 – the state's grand final eve public holiday – will see Victoria take on reigning Dean Jones Trophy holders NSW.
That fixture headlines the early season One-Day Cup matches which open the domestic summer, starting on September 18 with WA hosting SA in a day-night match at the WACA Ground.
Each state will play two 50-over matches before round one of a Shield season that launches with a rematch of last summer's final between Victoria and South Australia at Junction Oval from October 7.
The two-time defending Shield champions will play all five of their home games at Adelaide Oval this season for the first time since 2012-13.
Shield cricket will also return to Perth Stadium for the first time in eight years when WA play Tasmania in round five, a fortnight before the venue hosts the first Test between Australia and New Zealand.
It will be just the second Shield fixture to be played at Perth Stadium after WA lost to NSW in November 2018 in what was the ground's maiden first-class match.
It means each state will host Shield matches at their Test venue throughout the season. WA usually play all their home fixtures at the WACA Ground, joining NSW, Victoria and Queensland in splitting matches between Test and boutique venues.
"All our major venues are really supportive of playing Shield cricket and their membership is cricket orientated in many respects," Roach said.
"They like their curators getting an opportunity to prepare a first-class pitch at their venues and they also know that the state teams and players love getting out there on the major stadiums where they play Test cricket. They understand that they've got a responsibility to allow that familiarity for our players, so getting them out there as often as we can is important.
"The schedule has been designed to ensure our domestic competitions play a key role in providing performance opportunities for players and support a strong summer of international cricket.
"The February day-night Sheffield Shield round across the MCG, Adelaide Oval and the Gabba provides an important platform for players to develop their skills in pink-ball conditions, with its timing later in the season allowing us to take advantage of optimal conditions and build into the 150th Anniversary Test.
"We are confident that scheduling matches across a mix of major stadiums and traditional venues will again deliver high-quality experiences for players and fans alike."
The first six Shield rounds will be played prior to the Trans-Tasman Trophy series opener in Perth beginning on December 9, providing Test hopefuls ample opportunity to push their case for selection.
A CA XI will also play a Bangladesh XI in a three-day hit out at Marrara Cricket Ground from August 6-8, ahead of the first Test at the adjacent Marrara Stadium five days later.
As announced last week, the annual Prime Minister's XI match has been moved to Melbourne for the first time as part of the 150th Anniversary Test celebrations. The match will feature an England XI for the second straight summer and will be played under lights at Junction Oval and with a pink ball from March 4-6 next year.
Each state will host at least three One-Day Cup fixtures, with 12 of the 21 games being day-night games. The competition's final two rounds will be played in the space of four days in early February before the Dean Jones Trophy is presented again at the February 14 final between the two top-ranked sides.
The six states will then switch back into red-ball mode for the race to the five-day Shield decider that begins on March 25 and runs across the Easter long weekend.
Every ball of Australia's top-flight men's and women's domestic cricket this season will be streamed live across cricket.com.au, the CA Live app and Kayo Sports.
2026-27 Sheffield Shield schedule
* All times local
Round 1
Oct 7-10: VIC v SA – Junction Oval, Melbourne (10:30am)
Oct 8-11: NSW v TAS – Cricket Central, Sydney (10:30am)
Oct 8-11: WA v QLD – WACA Ground, Perth (10:30am)
Round 2
Oct 19-22: SA v QLD – Adelaide Oval (10:30am)
Oct 19-22: TAS v VIC – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (10:30am)
Oct 19-22: WA v NSW – WACA Ground, Perth (10:30am)
Round 3
Oct 28-31: SA v WA – Adelaide Oval (10:30am)
Oct 30-Nov 2: TAS v NSW – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (10:30am)
Oct 31-Nov 3: QLD v VIC – The Gabba, Brisbane (10:00am)
Round 4
Nov 11-14: QLD v TAS – The Gabba, Brisbane (10:30am)
Nov 11-14: NSW v SA – Cricket Central, Sydney (10:30am)
Nov 11-14: VIC v WA – Melbourne Cricket Ground (10:30am)
Round 5
Nov 22-25: NSW v QLD – SCG or Cricket Central (10:30am)
Nov 23-26: WA v TAS – Perth Stadium (10:30am)
Nov 24-27: SA v VIC – Adelaide Oval (10:30am)
Round 6
Dec 3-6: NSW v WA – Sydney Cricket Ground (10:30am)
Dec 3-6: VIC v QLD – Melbourne Cricket Ground (10:30am)
Dec 3-6: SA v TAS – Adelaide Oval (10:30am)
Round 7 (all matches D/N)
Feb 8-11: QLD v WA – The Gabba, Brisbane (2:00pm)
Feb 8-11: VIC v TAS – Melbourne Cricket Ground (2:30pm)
Feb 8-11: SA v NSW – Adelaide Oval (2:30pm)
Round 8
Feb 20-23: NSW v VIC – Sydney Cricket Ground (10:30am)
Feb 20-23: TAS v QLD – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (10:30am)
Feb 20-23: WA v SA – WACA Ground, Perth (10:30am)
Round 9
Mar 2-5: QLD v NSW – Allan Border Field, Brisbane (10:00am)
Mar 2-5: TAS v SA – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (10:30am)
Mar 2-5: WA v VIC – WACA Ground, Perth (10:30am)
Round 10
Mar 14-17: QLD vs SA – Allan Border Field, Brisbane (10:00am)
Mar 14-17: VIC vs NSW – Junction Oval, Melbourne (10:30am)
Mar 14-17: TAS vs WA – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (10:30am)
Final
March 25-29: TBD
2026-27 One-Day Cup schedule
* All times local
Sep 18: WA v SA (D/N) – WACA Ground, Perth (2:00pm)
Sep 19: QLD v VIC (D/N) – Allan Border Field, Brisbane (2:00pm)
Sep 20: WA v TAS (D/N) – WACA Ground, Perth (2:00pm)
Sep 22: QLD v NSW (D/N) – Allan Border Field, Brisbane (2:00pm)
Sep 23: SA v TAS – Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide (10:00am)
Sep 25: VIC v NSW (D/N) – Junction Oval, Melbourne (2:00pm)
Oct 12: VIC v SA (D/N) – Junction Oval, Melbourne (2:00pm)
Oct 13: NSW v TAS – Cricket Central, Sydney (10:00am)
Oct 13: WA v QLD (D/N) – WACA Ground, Perth (2:00pm)
Oct 17: SA v QLD – Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide (10:00am)
Oct 24: TAS v VIC – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (10:30am)
Oct 24: WA v NSW (D/N) – WACA Ground, Perth (2:00pm)
Nov 16: QLD v TAS – The Gabba, Brisbane (10:00am)
Nov 16: NSW v SA – Cricket Central, Sydney (10:00am)
Nov 16: VIC v WA (D/N) – Junction Oval, Melbourne (2:00pm)
Feb 2: NSW v VIC – Cricket Central, Sydney (10:00am)
Feb 2: TAS v QLD (D/N) – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (2:00pm)
Feb 2: SA v WA – Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide (11:00am)
Feb 5: QLD v WA (D/N) – Allan Border Field, Brisbane (2:00pm)
Feb 5: TAS v NSW (D/N) – Ninja Stadium, Hobart (2:00pm)
Feb 5: SA v VIC – Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide (11:00am)
Feb 14: Final – TBD