County Championship Cricket Schedule
The County Championship is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales.
Established back in 1890, the County Championship works on a two-league system in which sides battle for promotion and against relegation. The side finishing at the top of Division 1 is crowned the champion.
A total of 18 teams play across the competition, with 17 coming from England and one from Wales.
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Gloucestershire
Lancashire
Lancashire seems to have an upper hand going into the County Championship match against Gloucestershire, given their past victories and recent form.
1st Innings
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Northamptonshire
Middlesex
In an upcoming County Championship match, Northamptonshire will face Middlesex, with both teams looking to improve their recent inconsistent forms.
1st Innings
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Hampshire
Somerset
Somerset looks set to continue their winning streak against Hampshire in the County Championship.
1st Innings
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2026 County Championship Cricket Dates & Schedule
- Start Date: April 3, 2026
- End Date: September 27, 2026
How To Stream The County Championship
The availability of the County Championship and whether you can watch it will depend on your country of residence.
Broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, other countries may not have a paid for TV service that provides coverage of the competition.
You can make the most out of our County Championship Live Streaming Guide to ensure you see every shot, wicket and catch across the season.
County Championship Format & Teams
The County Championship is the premier domestic first class cricket competition in England and Wales. The two-league system is contested by 18 teams in total, with 17 sides come from England and one from Wales.
The teams are:
- Derbyshire
- Durham
- Essex
- Glamorgan
- Gloucestershire
- Hampshire
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Middlesex
- Northamptonshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Somerset
- Surrey
- Sussex
- Warwickshire
- Worcestershire
- Yorkshire
The format sees teams battling to secure the most points in the division, with the top side winning the title. A win is worth 16 points, a tie is eight points, a draw is eight points and a loss amounts to no points other than bonus points. Teams can secure bonus points whether they win, tie, draw or lose.
Nottinghamshire are the current champions having secured their 7th title. Yorkshire are the most successful side, notching 33 titles.
Key Teams & Prospects
| Team | Prospect |
|---|---|
| Surrey | Chasing yet another title after securing the trophy in 2024. Surrey have been the team to beat for years, shown by their attempts to secure a 24th title. |
| Yorkshire | Yorkshire boast one of the best batting lineups in the County Championship, although having all of their top players consistently available due to England duty has been an issue. |
| Durham | Like Yorkshire, boast a good side, but England call ups will likely disrupt their first XI. Do they have the squad depth to challenge? |
| Sussex | Sussex have been able to reinforce their ranks with a number of talented names as they chase the title this season. |
