South Africa's Proteas men's and women's teams enter 2026 with high hopes for T20 World Cup success after near-misses in recent tournaments. Both squads face packed schedules across formats, but the shortest game remains their priority. Key returns and home series could pave the way for breakthroughs.
The Proteas men's team will compete in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting in February 2026, marking head coach Shukri Conrad's first white-ball tournament in charge. After a rocky 2025 in T20 internationals, they aim to improve on their 2024 final loss to India by seven runs in Barbados. The women's side, runners-up in the last two T20 World Cups, including a 32-run defeat to New Zealand in the UAE in October 2024, heads to England in July for another shot at a maiden ICC trophy.
Boosting the women is the return of former captain Dané van Niekerk, whose middle-order experience could prove decisive, while stalwarts like Marizanne Kapp may play their final major event. The men's red-ball form in 2025 was strong, with seven wins from eight Tests, including a World Test Championship victory over Australia at Lord's, positioning them well for the 2027 final if 2026 home series deliver.
South Africa's 2026 home calendar features Tests against Bangladesh in November, Australia in October, and England in December, alongside limited-overs matches. The SA20 league kicks off in December 2025 at Newlands, shifting to a pre-new-year start due to an open schedule. Early-year fixtures include an IPL window and three T20Is against West Indies in January as World Cup preparation, shortened from five.
For the women, after a dominant series against Ireland, they host Pakistan in February-March, with the final ODI on 1 March as Black Day to combat gender-based violence. A subsequent tour to New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs offers revenge against the 2024 finalists. Both teams seek their first T20 World Cup title amid a busy year.
