European cricket gets its first major franchise T20 league this year. The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) 2026 — the inaugural season — runs from 26 August to 20 September 2026, played across the Netherlands and Ireland. Six city-based franchises, a mix of global stars and Europe's best homegrown talent, and a brand-new tournament with ICC sanctioning behind it.
Here's everything you need on the ETPL 2026 schedule, teams, venues, and format.
ETPL 2026 Key Details
| Dates | 26 August – 20 September 2026 |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Matches | 32 (30 league + Qualifier, Eliminator, Final) |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin + playoffs |
| Hosts | Netherlands, Ireland |
| Venues | Voorburg Cricket Club (Netherlands), Malahide Cricket Ground (Ireland) |
| Organisers | Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) |
| Official website | etplofficial.com |
The ETPL was originally slated for 2025 but was postponed to 2026 due to investment delays and competing commercial priorities from investors also backing other global T20 leagues. It succeeds the earlier, abandoned Euro T20 Slam, and this time arrives with full ICC sanctioning.
ETPL 2026 Teams and Owners
Six franchises, spread across four countries:
| Team | City | Captain | Notable Owner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotterdam Dockers | Rotterdam, Netherlands | — | Jonty Rhodes, Heinrich Klaasen, Faf du Plessis |
| Amsterdam Flames | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Mitchell Marsh | Steve Waugh |
| Dublin Guardians | Dublin, Ireland | Ravichandran Ashwin | Rahul Dravid |
| Belfast Wolves | Belfast, Northern Ireland | — | Glenn Maxwell |
| Edinburgh Castle Rockers | Edinburgh, Scotland | Mitchell Santner | Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum |
| Glasgow Cosmic | Glasgow, Scotland | — | Chris Gayle |
The player pool blends serious global star power — Steve Smith, Tim David, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Heinrich Klaasen, Mitchell Marsh, Trent Boult, Lungi Ngidi — with the region's own established names, including Paul Stirling, Scott Edwards, Josh Little, George Dockrell, Aryan Dutt, Max O'Dowd, Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross.
ETPL 2026 Format Explained
ETPL 2026 is a double round-robin — each of the six teams plays every other team twice across the league phase, for 30 total league matches. After that:
- The top-placed team advances directly to the Final.
- The 2nd and 3rd-placed teams meet in the Qualifier for the second Final spot.
- Ties during the league phase are resolved by Super Over. Playoff ties can be resolved by Super Over or league position, depending on the stage.
Standings are decided by points, then net run rate, then head-to-head and other tie-breakers if needed.
ETPL 2026 Full Schedule and Fixtures
The tournament opens at Voorburg Cricket Club in the Netherlands before shifting to Malahide Cricket Ground in Dublin for the remainder of the league stage, Qualifier and Final.
| Match | Date | Time (Local) | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Aug | 15:15 | Rotterdam Dockers vs Amsterdam Flames | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 2 | 27 Aug | 11:30 | Belfast Wolves vs Dublin Guardians | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 3 | 27 Aug | 15:15 | Edinburgh Castle Rockers vs Glasgow Cosmic | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 4 | 28 Aug | 15:15 | Amsterdam Flames vs Edinburgh Castle Rockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 5 | 29 Aug | 11:30 | Glasgow Cosmic vs Dublin Guardians | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 6 | 29 Aug | 15:15 | Rotterdam Dockers vs Belfast Wolves | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 7 | 30 Aug | 11:30 | Amsterdam Flames vs Belfast Wolves | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 8 | 30 Aug | 15:15 | Edinburgh Castle Rockers vs Dublin Guardians | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 9 | 1 Sep | 15:15 | Glasgow Cosmic vs Rotterdam Dockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 10 | 2 Sep | 11:30 | Dublin Guardians vs Rotterdam Dockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 11 | 2 Sep | 15:15 | Belfast Wolves vs Edinburgh Castle Rockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 12 | 3 Sep | 15:15 | Amsterdam Flames vs Glasgow Cosmic | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 13 | 4 Sep | 15:15 | Glasgow Cosmic vs Belfast Wolves | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 14 | 5 Sep | 11:30 | Rotterdam Dockers vs Edinburgh Castle Rockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 15 | 5 Sep | 15:15 | Dublin Guardians vs Amsterdam Flames | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 16 | 6 Sep | 11:30 | Glasgow Cosmic vs Edinburgh Castle Rockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 17 | 6 Sep | 15:15 | Amsterdam Flames vs Rotterdam Dockers | Voorburg, Netherlands |
| 18 | 9 Sep | 14:15 | Dublin Guardians vs Belfast Wolves | Malahide, Ireland |
| 19 | 10 Sep | 10:30 | Rotterdam Dockers vs Glasgow Cosmic | Malahide, Ireland |
| 20 | 10 Sep | 14:15 | Belfast Wolves vs Amsterdam Flames | Malahide, Ireland |
| 21 | 11 Sep | 14:15 | Dublin Guardians vs Edinburgh Castle Rockers | Malahide, Ireland |
| 22 | 12 Sep | 10:30 | Belfast Wolves vs Rotterdam Dockers | Malahide, Ireland |
| 23 | 12 Sep | 14:15 | Dublin Guardians vs Glasgow Cosmic | Malahide, Ireland |
| 24 | 13 Sep | 10:30 | Edinburgh Castle Rockers vs Amsterdam Flames | Malahide, Ireland |
| 25 | 13 Sep | 14:15 | Belfast Wolves vs Glasgow Cosmic | Malahide, Ireland |
| 26 | 15 Sep | 10:30 | Amsterdam Flames vs Dublin Guardians | Malahide, Ireland |
| 27 | 15 Sep | 14:15 | Edinburgh Castle Rockers vs Rotterdam Dockers | Malahide, Ireland |
| 28 | 16 Sep | 14:15 | Glasgow Cosmic vs Amsterdam Flames | Malahide, Ireland |
| 29 | 17 Sep | 10:30 | Edinburgh Castle Rockers vs Belfast Wolves | Malahide, Ireland |
| 30 | 17 Sep | 14:15 | Rotterdam Dockers vs Dublin Guardians | Malahide, Ireland |
| Qualifier | 19 Sep | TBC | 1st vs 2nd (Page Playoff) | Malahide, Ireland |
| Eliminator | 18–20 Sep | TBC | Based on league standings | Malahide, Ireland |
| Final | 20 Sep | 14:15 | Winner of Qualifier vs Winner of Eliminator | Malahide, Ireland |
Playoff kick-off times were not confirmed at the time of publishing — check back closer to the date for updates.
ETPL 2026 Venues
Voorburg Cricket Club, The Hague, Netherlands — hosts the tournament's opening phase (Matches 1–17), including the tournament opener between Rotterdam Dockers and Amsterdam Flames.
Malahide Cricket Ground, Dublin, Ireland — takes over from Match 18 onward, hosting the rest of the league stage plus the Qualifier, Eliminator and Final.
Why ETPL 2026 Matters
This is Europe's first genuine multi-country, ICC-sanctioned T20 franchise league — a real step up from previous attempts like the abandoned Euro T20 Slam. With co-owners like Rahul Dravid, Steve Waugh, Jonty Rhodes, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Gayle putting their names behind franchises, and a player pool spanning South Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand and the host nations themselves, ETPL 2026 is positioning itself as a serious new fixture on the global T20 calendar — and a big moment for cricket's growth story in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.
Bookmark this page — we'll be updating this schedule with confirmed playoff timings and live results as the tournament progresses.