The Professional County Cricket Clubs (PCCs) have agreed on significant structural changes to the Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One-Day Cup formats across both men’s and women’s county cricket starting from the 2026 season.
The decision follows consultations involving county CEOs, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), and players, with a focus on streamlining schedules, increasing competitiveness, and improving player wellbeing.
Vitality Blast men’s competition: fewer matches, stronger rivalries
The men’s Vitality Blast will shift to three groups of six counties with each team playing 12 group-stage matches, down from 14. Teams will face each county in their group home and away (10 matches), plus one home and one away match against counties from outside their group.
The top two teams in each group and the two best third-placed teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. Finals Day will return to pre-Hundred July timing, a move expected to boost TV, sponsorship, and fan engagement.
New Group Structure (Men’s)
Group A: Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire
Group B: Bears, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Worcestershire
Group C: Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex
Vitality Blast women’s Tier 1: new teams, knockout format enhanced
Yorkshire will move into Tier 1 from 2026, resulting in nine teams evenly split across both tiers. Tier 1 will play 12 matches per team — down from 14 — with a new knockout format featuring semi-finals and a final on Finals Day.
Tier 1 Group (Women’s)
Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Yorkshire
Vitality Blast Women’s League 2: single group and streamlined structure
Tier 2 will become a single nationwide group of nine counties, replacing North and South divisions. Each team will play eight group-stage matches (four home, four away). A three-team Finals Day will determine the winner via an Eliminator and Final.
Tier 2 Group (Women’s League 2)
Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Sussex, Worcestershire
Metro Bank One-Day Cup (Women’s): Tier 1 increases to 16 matches
The Tier 1 women’s One-Day Cup will feature a home-and-away round-robin between the nine teams, totaling 16 group-stage matches. Instead of semi-finals, the 2nd and 3rd placed teams will play an Eliminator to face the top-ranked side in the final.
Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s League 2: trimmed format
Tier 2 of the women’s One-Day Cup will see a reduction from nine to eight matches, with a knockout stage involving the top four teams in two semi-finals and a final.
Player wellbeing, scheduling balance at the heart of reform
The changes reflect feedback from players concerned about mental and physical fatigue. PCA CEO Daryl Mitchell welcomed the revised format, saying it allows players to perform at peak levels while supporting counties and fans with better-quality cricket.
“Addressing back-to-back fixtures, travel and volume of games will see game-wide benefits,” Mitchell noted.
What’s next: review in 2027 as Glamorgan joins Tier 1
ECB Director of the Women’s Professional Game, Beth Barrett-Wild, confirmed the 2026 format will be reviewed again before 2027, when Glamorgan will join Tier 1. She highlighted the importance of ongoing consultation to align formats with player feedback and scheduling realities.
“There was always going to be a settling-in period… These changes are for next summer only, with a planned review ahead of 2027,” said Barrett-Wild.
Summary of Key Changes
Vitality Blast (Men): Reduced to 12 group-stage matches; Finals Day before The Hundred
Vitality Blast (Women, Tier 1): Reduced to 12 matches; semi-finals added to Finals Day
Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 (Tier 2): Nationwide group replaces North/South split; 3-team Finals Day
Metro Bank One-Day Cup (Women, Tier 1): Increased to 16 matches; Eliminator replaces semi-finals
Metro Bank One-Day Cup (Women, Tier 2): Eight group-stage matches; top four progress to semis
ECB CEO Richard Gould said the changes reflect “county-led progress” and the continued effort to make England and Wales domestic cricket the global benchmark for men’s and women’s formats alike.
