Press release -
Full 2026 county fixture list and Toyota DPL matches announced
The full schedule for the men’s and women’s county season and the Toyota Disability Premier League has today been announced.
Ten trophies will be contested across 177 days of the season, which will begin with the opening round of the Rothesay County Championship on Friday 3 April.
Rothesay County Championship
Nottinghamshire begin the defence of their Rothesay County Championship title away to Somerset while Leicestershire and Glamorgan – both back in Division One for the first time in over two decades – host Sussex and Yorkshire respectively in the opening round.
Notts won their first Rothesay County Championship trophy for 15 years under captain Haseeb Hameed last season and have already re-signed the man who confirmed the title, South African Kyle Verreynne, when he hit a six in their final game against Warwickshire as well as Australian seamer Fergus O’Neill (from April until June).
The 2026 Rothesay County Championship will be played in three blocks of matches – with each county playing a total of 14 matches.
Each county will play six matches during the first seven-week block, with all matches during that period starting on a Friday. A mid-summer block of two games will be staged in June – with each county playing twice.
The third block of matches begins on 20 August with each county playing six matches to complete the season. The final round begins on 24 September.
Metro Bank One-Day Cup
Lancashire were the most successful county team last season winning both the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s Competition and the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup.
They start their 50-over title defence away to Durham on 11 April with a first-ever professional Roses clash against Yorkshire scheduled for Emirates Old Trafford on 25 April. Yorkshire, who won the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s League 2 title last year, begin life in Tier 1 away to Somerset.
Worcestershire Rapids won an emotional Metro Bank One-Day Cup Men’s Competition final in September - dedicating the triumph to former team-mate Josh Baker – and start their campaign at home to Derbyshire Falcons on 24 July.
The groups for the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Men’s Competition were randomly drawn, with each county playing each county in their group once.
Group A: Gloucestershire, Kent Spitfires, Lancashire, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws, Somerset, Surrey, Warwickshire.
Group B: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Essex, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Middlesex, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids, Yorkshire.
The three Metro Bank One-Day Cup finals will be staged over the same weekend (September 19-20).
The Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s Competition final will again be hosted by the Utilita Bowl in Southampton on Saturday 19 September. On the following day both the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Men’s Final (Trent Bridge) and Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s League 2 Final (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol) are scheduled to be played.
Toyota Disability Premier League
The Toyota DPL will enter its fifth season next year with Tridents looking to defend the title they won in a bowl-out against Pirates. It was the second DPL title for captain Liam O’Brien’s team and both teams will return to Loughborough on 5 July for a rematch.
The competition retains its three-weekend group-stage format – with each team playing twice each weekend – however instead of consecutive weekends the matchdays will be spread out across 7 June, 5 July and 6 September before the final on 17 September.
Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup
The unique cup competition, which was introduced last season, will see 37 counties looking to reach Finals Day on 29 August.
Twenty-eight counties enter the competition in the opening round before the nine Tier 1 counties are introduced in Round 3.
Two all-Tier 1 ties have been confirmed for Round 3 with The Blaze at home to Durham while Yorkshire will welcome Somerset. With Finals Day at Emirates Old Trafford last season’s champions Lancashire Thunder will have added incentive to retain their crown.
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Editor’s Notes
Please note the full fixture list is available in the attached Excel spreadsheet at the bottom of this release.
Rothesay County Championship
Division One
Counties: Essex, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, Somerset, Warwickshire, Yorkshire.
10 counties play 14 matches. The county with the most points at the end of the season is crowned county champion, while the bottom two teams are relegated to Division Two.
Division Two
Counties: Derbyshire, Durham, Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire.
Eight counties to play 14 matches. The county with the most points at the end of the season is crowed Division Two champion and is promoted alongside the second-placed county.
Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition
Group A: Gloucestershire, Kent Spitfires, Lancashire, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws, Somerset, Surrey, Warwickshire.
Group B: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Essex, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Middlesex, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids, Yorkshire.
Group-stage matches
Each county will play eight group-stage matches – four at home and four away – meeting those counties in their group once. Groups were randomly drawn.
Knockout stage
The top team in each group progresses directly to a home semi-final. The second and third-placed teams from either group meet in a quarter-final (14 August) to earn the right to reach the semi-finals (16 August). The final is staged at Trent Bridge (20 September).
Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition (Tier 1)
Group: Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Warwickshire, Yorkshire.
Group-stage matches
Each county will play 16 group-stage matches – each county plays each other county at home and away.
Knockout stage
The top three counties at the end of the group stage will progress to the knockout stages. The top county progresses straight into the final (19 September – Utilita Bowl) to meet the winner of the Eliminator (16 September) between 2nd and 3rd place.
Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s League 2 (Tier 2)
Group: Derbyshire Falcons, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire Foxes, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids.
Group-stage matches
Each county will play eight group-stage matches – four home and four away. They will play each county either home or away.
Knockout stage
The top four counties at the end of the group stage will progress to the knockout stages. The winners of the two semi-finals (13 September) progress to the final (20 September).
Toyota Disability Premier League
Teams: Tridents, Pirates, Black Cats, Hawks.
Format: The four teams play three matchdays during the group stage. On each matchday each team will play two matches so that, by the end of the group stage, each team will have played the other three teams twice.
The top two teams at the end of the group stage progress to the final (17 September).
Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup
Round One (26 April): Sussex v Norfolk, Cambridgeshire v Hertfordshire, Suffolk v Buckinghamshire, Middlesex v Kent, Wiltshire v Berkshire, Gloucestershire v Cornwall, Dorset v Oxfordshire, Glamorgan v Devon, Derbyshire v Cheshire, Staffordshire v Cumbria, Worcestershire v Northumberland, Northamptonshire v Herefordshire, Leicestershire v Shropshire, Bedfordshire & Huntingdonshire v Lincolnshire.
Round Three entrants (21 June): Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Warwickshire, Yorkshire.
Format: 37 counties compete in a knockout T20 cup competition. There are 28 counties in round one with the nine Tier 1 counties entering the competition from the third round. The semi-finals and final are staged on Finals Day at Emirates Old Trafford (29 August).
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