South Africa vs Australia 2026 Tests: Full Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town Schedule

The South Africa vs Australia 2026 Tests are a three-match series in October. As of October 16, the Durban Test has finished: Australia won by 214 runs after play at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium from October 9–13. The second Test is scheduled for St George’s Park in Gqeberha from October 18–22, followed by the third at Newlands in Cape Town from October 27–31.

All dates below use the calendar at the South African venue. South Africa Standard Time (SAST) is UTC+02:00. For viewers in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Hobart, the October first-ball times fall in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT, UTC+11:00), nine hours ahead. Australia has multiple time zones, so AEDT is not the correct conversion for every state.

South Africa vs Australia 2026 Test schedule at a glance

The series page from Cricket Australia and the latest ICC series update agree on the three South African date ranges and venues. Cricket Australia’s current second-Test preview confirms the Gqeberha start time and gives the Cape Town listing as 10:30 a.m. local. Times can change, so check the live match center before travel or broadcast planning.

Why an Australian schedule can show the following date

The difference is the clock, not an extra day of Test cricket. In October, SAST is UTC+02:00. New South Wales and Victoria are on AEDT (UTC+11:00) after daylight saving begins; the NSW Government’s 2026 daylight-saving dates list the change on October 4. South Africa’s 9:30 a.m. start in Durban is therefore 6:30 p.m. in Sydney or Melbourne on the same date. The Gqeberha and Cape Town starts convert to 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. AEDT.

Later sessions can continue past midnight in eastern Australia while it is still the same afternoon or evening at the ground. That can make a broadcast guide or personal calendar appear to extend into the next Australian date. Cricket Australia’s series listing uses the South African match dates—October 9–13, October 18–22, and October 27–31—so use those ranges for plans in South Africa. For Australian viewing, follow the time zone printed beside the broadcast start and remember that Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory do not all share AEDT. The NSW Government’s time-zone reference lists the different Australian offsets.

First Test: Durban, October 9–13

The series opened at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium, with the first ball scheduled for 9:30 a.m. SAST (07:30 UTC). The match has concluded, and the ICC reports that Australia won by 214 runs. It is useful to treat the five-day date range as the maximum scheduled window for a Test, not a promise that every session or day will be played; results, weather, and delays can change how long a match lasts.

Second Test: Gqeberha, October 18–22

The next match begins Sunday, October 18, at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. The scheduled first ball is 10:00 a.m. SAST, or 08:00 UTC. That is 7:00 p.m. AEDT on Sunday in Sydney and Melbourne. The match window runs through Thursday, October 22, if all five days are needed.

There are four complete calendar days between the end of the Durban window on October 13 and the scheduled start in Gqeberha: October 14, 15, 16, and 17. Supporters following the tour can use that gap as a travel buffer, but should plan around confirmed transport and hotel details rather than assuming the match will use every scheduled day.

Third Test: Cape Town, October 27–31

The final Test is set for Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, beginning Tuesday, October 27. The latest CSA match listing and Cricket Australia’s current series coverage show a 10:30 a.m. SAST start (08:30 UTC), equal to 7:30 p.m. AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne. An older CSA season announcement showed 10:00 a.m.; the current match listing and the recent Australian preview now show 10:30 a.m., so use the newer time and verify it again close to match day.

The scheduled window ends Saturday, October 31. Four full calendar days separate the Gqeberha window’s final date and Cape Town’s first date: October 23–26. Anyone booking a day-five ticket should remember that a Test can finish early, so the published dates reserve time for play but do not guarantee that the match will last through October 31.

What the three Tests mean in the wider tour

The October series follows South Africa’s three-match ODI leg and also forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle. The Durban result has already affected the standings; the Gqeberha and Cape Town Tests remain the next scheduled opportunities in this bilateral series. The ICC’s original schedule announcement identifies the contest as a three-Test WTC series.

Which fixture should you trust for travel and viewing?

• For the South African dates and venues: start with Cricket Australia’s dedicated series page and the Cricket South Africa fixtures list.
• For the latest start time: check the relevant CSA match center. The current Newlands fixture listing shows 10:30 a.m. on October 27.
• For Australian time conversions: use AEDT only for eastern states observing daylight saving; check your broadcaster or local calendar for other Australian time zones.
• For tickets and connections: leave flexibility around the last scheduled day because a Test can end before its five-day window closes.

For South African supporters, the order is Durban, Gqeberha, then Cape Town. For international viewers, the UTC equivalents—07:30, 08:00, and 08:30—make the scheduled first-ball times easier to compare without confusing the venue’s match date with a later date on an Australian clock.