Australia vs New Zealand 2026-27 Test Series: Preview, Schedule & Tips

Australia host New Zealand for a four-Test series across December 2026 and January 2027, headlined by the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and the New Year's Test at the SCG.

Australia host New Zealand for a four-Test series across December 2026 and January 2027, headlined by the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and the New Year’s Test at the SCG. It is the first four-Test series between the two countries, with all four Tests played in the daytime and squeezed into 31 days. Below we preview the series, the schedule and the key betting angles. For the full summer calendar see our international cricket hub and the main cricket betting page. Before the Tests, England play three ODIs and five T20Is: see our ODI series and T20I series previews.

Australia vs New Zealand 2026-27 Test schedule

Test	Venue	Dates	Start (AEDT)
First Test	Perth Stadium	9 to 13 December 2026	1:20pm (10:20am local)
Second Test	Adelaide Oval	17 to 21 December 2026	11:30am (11am local)
Third Test (Boxing Day)	Melbourne Cricket Ground	26 to 30 December 2026	10:30am
Fourth Test (New Year’s)	Sydney Cricket Ground	4 to 8 January 2027	10:30am

All four are day Tests: there is no pink-ball match in this series. The SCG Test is the Pink Test, the annual McGrath Foundation fundraiser, which is about pink caps and a pink stadium, not a pink ball. The only day-night Test of the summer is the 150th Anniversary Test against England at the MCG in March 2027.

 

Series preview

Australia start as favourites at home, but they come into this series in worse form than usual. They lost the Test series in South Africa 2-1 last month and drew 1-1 at home to Bangladesh in August. New Zealand top the World Test Championship table and won a Test series in England 2-1 in June. They have still won only one Test series in Australia, back in 1985-86, and will need their fast bowlers to make the most of the bounce at Perth and the MCG to stay competitive across four matches.

The middle of the series brings the two showpiece fixtures. The Boxing Day Test at the MCG traditionally draws the largest crowds of the summer, while the New Year’s Test at the SCG closes the series. With four Tests inside 31 days, squad depth and workload management for both pace attacks are likely to shape the result.

Recent form and head to head

Australia: won the 2025-26 Ashes 4-1. In August they drew 1-1 with Bangladesh, losing in Darwin and winning in Mackay. In South Africa in October they won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs, then lost in Gqeberha by an innings and 31 runs and at Newlands by 176 runs on 31 October. Our South Africa tour page has every result.

New Zealand: won 2-1 in England in June, losing at Lord’s before winning at The Oval and Trent Bridge. They host India in two Tests in Wellington (19 to 23 November) and Christchurch (27 November to 1 December), so they arrive in Perth about a week after their last Test at home.

World Test Championship: after Australia’s loss at Newlands, New Zealand lead the table on 72.22% of points, ahead of South Africa (71.43%) and Australia (69.23%). The top two after this cycle play the final, so this series matters to both sides.

Head to head: Australia have held the Trans-Tasman Trophy since 1993. They won the last series 2-0 in New Zealand in March 2024 and the last series in Australia 3-0 in 2019-20. New Zealand’s last Test win over Australia came in 2011.

Squads and team news

Neither squad had been named as of Wednesday 4 November. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are not playing the white-ball series against England and are being kept fresh for a block of ten Tests: these four, five in India from January and the 150th Anniversary Test in March. Josh Inglis made a century in the Cape Town Test and is in contention. New Zealand have not yet named a Test squad for their home series against India either. We will add both squads here when they are named.

Series prediction and betting angles

Our tip is an Australian series win. We could not get dated prices from our bookmakers when we updated this page on Wednesday 4 November, so the tip has no price. Australia’s home record against New Zealand is the main reason, but their results this year mean the outright price should be longer than it would have been a year ago. For value beyond the outright, look at the series correct score, and top run-scorer and top wicket-taker for each side once squads are confirmed.

If you are new to the format, our guide on how to bet on cricket covers every market, and you can compare the leading cricket betting sites in Australia before you bet.

How to watch in Australia

Men’s home Tests are on free-to-air TV: every Test is live on Seven and streams free on 7plus. They are also on Fox Cricket (Foxtel) and Kayo.

Australia vs New Zealand Test series FAQs

When is the Australia vs New Zealand Test series?

Four Tests: Perth Stadium 9 to 13 December 2026, Adelaide Oval 17 to 21 December, the MCG 26 to 30 December (Boxing Day) and the SCG 4 to 8 January 2027.

What time do the Tests start?

Perth starts at 1:20pm AEDT (10:20am local), Adelaide at 11:30am AEDT (11am local), and the MCG and SCG Tests at 10:30am AEDT.

Is there a day-night Test in the series?

No. All four are day Tests. The SCG Test is the Pink Test for the McGrath Foundation, but it is played with a red ball in the daytime.

Where can I watch the Australia vs New Zealand Tests?

Every Test is on Seven and 7plus (free-to-air) and on Fox Cricket (Foxtel) and Kayo.

Who is our tip to win the series?

Australia, although they lost 2-1 in South Africa and New Zealand lead the World Test Championship table. We had no dated bookmaker price when we updated this page, so the tip has no price.

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