New Zealand tour of Australia 2026-27

Tour Overview

For the first time, Australia and New Zealand will contest a four-Test series, and it lands right across the heart of the Australian summer. Between 9 December 2026 and 8 January 2027 the Black Caps travel coast to coast, from Perth on the Indian Ocean to Sydney on the Pacific, playing in four of the country's great cricket cities in just 31 days.

It is New Zealand's first Test tour of Australia since 2019-20, and the schedule hands them the two biggest dates on the Australian cricket calendar: the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Every match also carries ICC World Test Championship points and the Trans-Tasman Trophy is on the line, so nothing here is a dead rubber.

For a travelling fan it is close to the perfect cricket holiday. Christmas falls between the second and third Tests, New Year's Eve in Sydney sits between the third and fourth, and the gaps between matches are long enough to see far more of Australia than its stadiums.

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About the Tournament

The series is a bilateral Test tour organised by Cricket Australia with New Zealand Cricket, played under the NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series banner. All four matches are five-day Tests played in traditional daytime conditions with the red ball, starting mid-morning local time.

Cricket Australia has given each match its own identity. The opener in Perth is the West Test, Adelaide hosts the Christmas Test, Melbourne stages the Boxing Day Test and Sydney closes the series with the New Year's Test. The tour was first planned as three Tests before a fourth was added, which turns it into the longest Trans-Tasman Test series ever played.

There is no final in the knockout sense. The team that wins more Tests lifts the Trans-Tasman Trophy, while each result also feeds the 2025-27 World Test Championship table that decides who reaches the next WTC final. With four matches packed into a month, fitness, fast-bowling depth and squad rotation are likely to decide the outcome as much as raw talent.

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Tournament History

The Trans-Tasman Trophy has been awarded for Test series between the two nations since 1985-86, and New Zealand won that very first series in Australia 2-1, a tour remembered for the outstanding fast bowling of Sir Richard Hadlee. Since then Australia have held the upper hand, winning the large majority of series home and away.

New Zealand's most recent Test win on Australian soil came in Hobart in 2011, a seven-run thriller that squared that series 1-1. Their highlight in the years since came in Perth in 2015-16, when Ross Taylor made 290, still the highest individual score in the history of the trophy. Australia won the last series in Australia 3-0 in 2019-20 and retained the trophy with a 2-0 win in New Zealand in early 2024.

Both teams arrive with modern pedigree. New Zealand were the inaugural World Test Champions in 2021, Australia won the title in 2023, and the rivalry between two nations a short flight apart has always carried a little extra edge. This four-Test series is New Zealand's longest Test campaign since 1999, giving them their best chance in a generation to rewrite the record in Australia.

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Host Nation

Australia

Australia is a continent-sized country of about 27 million people, and cricket is woven into its summer. December and January are peak season: long, warm days, school holidays, packed beaches and full grandstands. Test cricket remains the country's prestige format, and the biggest matches draw crowds that most of the cricket world can only envy.

The four host cities span three time zones. Perth runs on Australian Western Standard Time, three hours behind the east coast in summer; Adelaide sits half an hour behind Melbourne and Sydney. English is the language, the Australian dollar is the currency, and cards and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere. Visitors should plan for strong sun and summer heat, with sunscreen, hats and water as everyday kit at the cricket.

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Schedule & Key Dates

The series opens with the West Test at Perth Stadium from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 December 2026, with play starting at 10:20 AM local time. Three days later the teams move to the Christmas Test at Adelaide Oval from Thursday 17 to Monday 21 December, starting at 11:00 AM local time.

After a short Christmas break comes the centrepiece, the Boxing Day Test at the MCG from Saturday 26 to Wednesday 30 December, with the first ball at 10:30 AM local time. The tour then finishes with the New Year's Test at the SCG from Monday 4 to Friday 8 January 2027, also starting at 10:30 AM local time.

Four Tests in 31 days leaves little recovery time for the players, but for fans it creates natural travel windows: a week in Western Australia, the run-up to Christmas in Adelaide, the holiday period in Melbourne and the New Year in Sydney. Squads for both sides are expected to be named closer to the series.

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Venues & Host Cities

Perth Stadium, Perth

Opened in 2018 on the banks of the Swan River at Burswood, Perth Stadium holds about 61,000 people and is one of the most modern cricket venues in the world. Its bronze facade and steep, close-to-the-action stands give it a big-event feel, and New Zealand last played a Test here in 2019. Fans walk across the Matagarup Bridge from East Perth or use the dedicated stadium train station.

Perth itself is relaxed and sunny, with Kings Park looking over the city, the port town of Fremantle a short trip away and Rottnest Island a ferry ride offshore. The western time zone also means long, light evenings after stumps.

Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Often called the most beautiful Test ground in the world, Adelaide Oval combines a heritage scoreboard and the view of St Peter's Cathedral with a redeveloped stadium of about 53,500. It has a special link to this rivalry: the very first day-night Test, in 2015, was played here between Australia and New Zealand. This time the match is a daytime Test.

The ground sits a short walk from the city centre across the River Torrens. Adelaide is compact and easy to explore, with the Central Market, the beach at Glenelg and the wineries of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale all within easy reach.

Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

The MCG is the cathedral of Australian sport. Built in 1853 and host of the first-ever Test match in 1877, it holds about 100,000 and fills for the first morning of the Boxing Day Test like nowhere else in cricket. New Zealand last played a Boxing Day Test here in 2019, and the noise when the first ball is bowled is unforgettable.

The ground is a pleasant walk from the city through Yarra Park. Melbourne rewards exploring between days of play: its laneway cafes and bars, the Yarra riverfront, the National Sports Museum inside the MCG and the coastal drive along the Great Ocean Road.

Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

The SCG has hosted cricket since the 19th century and blends heritage Members and Ladies stands with modern grandstands for a crowd of about 48,000. Its New Year's Test is a fixture of the Sydney summer and traditionally supports the McGrath Foundation, with the ground turning pink on one of the days.

Moore Park sits close to Paddington and Surry Hills, and the rest of Sydney is the bonus: the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Bondi and Coogee beaches, harbour ferries and, just before the Test, the world-famous New Year's Eve fireworks over the harbour.

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The Teams

Australia

Australia go into the series as the team to beat at home, led in recent years by fast bowler Pat Cummins. Their Test core has long featured names such as Steve Smith, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, built on a relentless pace attack and batting that has thrived in home conditions. The official squad for this series has not yet been named.

New Zealand

New Zealand are captained in Tests by Tom Latham and bring a side known for discipline, skilful seam bowling and fight. Kane Williamson remains their batting great, and recent squads have included the likes of Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke. With four Tests to play, depth in the pace attack will be crucial. The touring squad will be confirmed by New Zealand Cricket closer to December.

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Why Attend

This is a once-in-a-generation tour. A four-Test Trans-Tasman series has never been played before, and it links four completely different cricket experiences into one trip: the modern spectacle of Perth, the charm of Adelaide, the vast Boxing Day crowd at the MCG and the tradition of the New Year's Test in Sydney.

The rivalry is friendly but fierce, and travelling New Zealand supporters always bring colour and noise to Australian grounds. Every match counts for the World Test Championship, so both sides will push for results. Add Christmas, New Year's Eve and an Australian summer, and few cricket trips anywhere offer as much on and off the field.

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Planning Your Trip

Most fans pick one or two Tests, and the classic combination is Boxing Day in Melbourne followed by New Year in Sydney, linked by a short domestic flight. Perth and Adelaide pair just as well in the first half of December. Melbourne and Sydney are especially busy over the holidays, so booking match tickets and accommodation early is strongly recommended.

Australia's major international airports serve all four cities, and frequent domestic flights connect them. Most international visitors need an electronic travel authority or visitor visa arranged before departure, so check the requirements for your passport well ahead of travel. Expect hot days, carry sun protection, and remember Perth runs three hours behind Melbourne and Sydney.

CrickBuster packages make the logistics simple. Depending on the package, they include guaranteed official match tickets in general or hospitality seating, accommodation, flights, airport transfers and stadium transfers, plus excursions and sightseeing such as the Great Ocean Road, Sydney Harbour or the Barossa Valley. Fan experiences and meet-and-greet opportunities are added where they are offered, so you can focus on the cricket and the summer around it.