The ECB has confirmed a significant overhaul of the men’s and women’s domestic white-ball calendar from the 2026 season, following a vote by a majority of the 18 first-class counties.
The changes are aimed at reducing player workload and improving scheduling, which marks a structural shift in how the Vitality Blast will be staged.
Men’s Vitality Blast: What will be the changes from 2026?
What it is now: The men’s T20 Blast has run with two groups of nine teams since 2014, with each county playing 14 group-stage matches, facing every opponent in their group home and away. The group stage has typically been split either side of The Hundred, with a gap of up to six weeks between group matches and the quarter-finals. Finals Day has been held in September.
What it will be: From 2026, the group stage will be reduced from 14 to 12 matches per county. The competition will be completed at once before the start of The Hundred, with Finals Day brought forward to July. The two-group system will be replaced by three groups of six, split geographically into North, Central and South, a format last used during the pandemic-affected 2020 season.
Each team will face every other side in its group twice (home and away), which equals 10 matches, plus one home and one away game against opponents from outside their group, making 12 matches in total. The top two from each group, along with the best two third-placed sides, will advance to the quarter-finals. The long gap between the end of the group stage and the knockout phase will be eliminated, with the quarter-finals and Finals Day following the group stage.
The groups for 2026
North: Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Durham, Yorkshire, Leicestershire
Central: Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Birmingham Bears, Somerset, Glamorgan, Worcestershire
South: Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Middlesex, Essex, Hampshire
Women’s white-ball changes from 2026
The Women’s Vitality Blast will also see a reduction in group matches and a reworked structure.
What it is now: In 2025, the top-tier Women’s T20 Blast features eight counties, playing 14 group games (home and away against every other side). The second-tier competition has a smaller schedule, and the women’s Finals Day involves an eliminator and a final.
What it will be: From 2026, Tier 1 will expand to nine counties, with Yorkshire joining. However, each team will play only 12 matches (six home, six away). Teams will face four opponents twice and four once. The top four will qualify for an expanded Finals Day, which will include two semi-finals and a final, mirroring the men’s event.
Tier 2 will also feature nine counties, each playing eight matches (four home, four away), with the top three progressing to a Finals Day comprising an eliminator and a final.
The One-Day Cup women’s competition will adopt the same top-tier and second-tier groupings as the Blast. In Tier 1, each of the nine sides will play 16 matches (home and away against every other county), with the top team progressing directly to the final and the second and third teams meeting in an Eliminator. Tier 2 will have eight group games per side, with semi-finals and a final.
County Championship changes still under review
While the Blast reforms have been signed off, discussions over the County Championship remain ongoing. The PCA has called for a cut from 14 to 12 Championship matches per team and a switch to a 12/6 conference format – two top divisions of six teams above a third division of six, with promotion, relegation, and a grand final between conference winners.
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has cited both physical and mental health concerns, with 83 per cent of surveyed players reporting physical strain from their workload and 67 per cent describing the fixture list as harmful to mental wellbeing.
However, counties remain divided: Durham and Lancashire back the 12/6 model; Surrey and Somerset want to retain 14 matches with eight teams in Division One; and Middlesex favour keeping two divisions with 10 teams in the top tier. No final decision is expected for at least two weeks.
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