The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the schedule of the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024, with the tournament set to take place in Sri Lanka from 13 January to 4 February.
16 teams are set to compete in the event across 41 matches from January 13 to February 4.
The tournament has 11 best-placed Full Member teams from the last edition and five teams who earned their World Cup spot through regional qualification pathways — Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland and USA.
Three matches will take place on the opening day, January 13, with hosts Sri Lanka facing Zimbabwe at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, while 2022 finalists England play Scotland at Colombo Cricket Club and New Zealand face off against Nepal at the P. Sara Oval.
India, who won the 2022 edition in the West Indies, will start the defence of their crown against 2020 winners Bangladesh a day later on January 14 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.
In a revised format that has been introduced for the upcoming edition, teams progressing from the group stages will enter a new Super Six stage, beginning January 24, where two groups of six teams will clash to determine the semi-finalists and the subsequent finalists.
In the group listings, holders India are joined by Bangladesh, Ireland and USA in Group A. Group B consists of England, South Africa, West Indies and Scotland. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal.
“The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has a long-standing history of introducing global audiences to future stars of the sport,” ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley, said.
“Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Angelo Mathews are some of the names that made their entrance onto the world stage at this event, and we are certain to see this tradition continue as the drama unfolds across the 41 tournament fixtures.
“We are thrilled to see the competition return to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006, in what promises to be a festival of cricket with no shortage of entertainment, and we are proud to offer fans the chance to witness the action for free once more.”
